2013 Grand Canyon Star Party
Logo copyright Joe Bergeron Grand Canyon's 23nd Annual Star Party will be held on both Amateur astronomers from across the country will volunteer their expertise and will offer free nightly astronomy programs and free telescope viewing. Visitors will have the chance to view the planet Saturn along with a wide assortment of star clusters, galaxies, and nebulae by night, and the sun or perhaps Venus or Mercury by day or just after sundown. Grand Canyon is one of the best night sky observing sites in the United States because it has some of the darkest skies and cleanest air in the country. Participants will experience spectacular views of the universe! Everyone dress warmly, since temperatures drop quickly after sunset - even during the summer months.
Telescopes ready for night sky viewing. NPS/Marker Marshall On the North Rim, telescopes will be set up on the porch of the lodge every evening, with some possibility of daytime scopes available as well. Bulletin boards at the Visitor Center will list additional events such as star talks and special slide show programs in the Grand Canyon Lodge auditorium.
Bring a flashlight to make your way safely to the telescope area; red flashlights are best since the use of white lights is discouraged on the telescope lot." A red flashlight can be made by covering any flashlight with red cellophane or painting the lens with red nail polish or even a red magic marker. For more on why red flashlights are so helpful, click here. Although many telescopes come down after 11:00 p.m., on nights with clear, calm skies some astronomers will continue to share their telescopes well into the night.
The event is free (other than paying the park entrance fee of $25.00 per vehicle, good for 7 days of coming and going to either rim.) No reservations are needed except for astronomers wishing to share their telescopes, who register through the astronomy clubs sponsoring the event. Come for a night, or for the whole 8 night-event. Explore the Grand Canyon by day, and the universe by night! Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association Grand Canyon Star Party Web Site: http://tucsonastronomy.org/ gcsp/ http://www.saguaroastro. org/content/ 2013GrandCanyonStarPartyNorthR im.htm Short time lapse video of the 2011 Star Party by Dean Ketelsen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OE09xkuir5s
2011 Grand Canyon Star Party Image by Dean Ketelsen.
More information on Natural Lightscapes.... More information on NPS Night Sky Program....
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Did You Know?
From Yavapai Point on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, the drop to the Colorado River below is 4,600 feet (1,400 m). The elevation at river level is 2,450 feet (750 m) above sea level. Without the Colorado River, a perennial river in a desert environment, the Grand Canyon would not exist.