Road Trip To Joshua Tree For The 2018 Night Sky Festival

Make plans to head to the desert for a fun-filled day and star-filled night for the 4th Annual Night Sky Festival. Joshua Tree was recently officially designated an official Dark Sky Park by the International Dark-Sky Association, so this year’s festival is going to be a real celebration!

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Winning the designation represents the outcome of nearly a decade of hard work by park staff and activists, as covered in this LA Times article. The park had to meet a very strict set of criteria, proving its commitment to keeping the sky views as natural as possible now and into the future.

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This year’s event features an astrophotography workshop, plus morning and nighttime astronomy sessions.

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You’ll have the opportunity to learn about the Orrery, look safely at the Sun through a solar telescope, walk the Nature and Wilderness Trails, and participate in youth crafts during the morning session at Sky’s The Limit. Afternoon astronomy presentations, space photo booth, and International Dark-Sky Association information table will be at Luckie Park in Twentynine Palms.

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The astrophotography workshop, led by artist photographer, John Van Vliet, will be held on Friday, November 9 beginning at 6:30 pm. Limited tickets available for this workshop. All other events will be held on Saturday, November 10.

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There will be a big Star Party beginning at 6 pm with 20 telescopes and astronomers to explain the starry night sky, all while listening to live music.

See you there!