Dakota Nights Astronomy Festival

A bison stands on a butte with the milky way in the distance.  The words Reach for the Stars at Dakota Nights, Astronomy Festival, August 30 through September 1, 2024 appear.
Dakota Nights Astronomy Festival

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Sponsored by the Theodore Roosevelt Nature & History Association. 


 

 

Want to learn more?

Dakota Nights doesn't just evolve around the festival - enjoy any and/or all of the following videos created surrounding our dark skies:
 
Globular Cluster of Stars (M13)
Tour of the Night Sky

Take a look at four well known objects in the North Dakota night sky. Nebula, clusters and galaxies, oh my!

Navajo Constellations of North Sky
Star Lore of the Indigenous Peoples

The Navajo have a deep connection to the night sky, especially the constellations in the northern sky.

constellations and asterisms
Constellations and the March of Time

Discover the Earth has a “wobble” and find out why Polaris hasn’t always been our north star.

Artist Rendition of a Rover on Mars
Mission to Mars 2020

Join Brad Nasset, NASA Solar System Ambassador as he talks about the many missions to the red planet, Mars.

Venus, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter
See the Planets Tonight!

Curious about which planets are currently in the night sky? Join Brad Nasset as he shows you when and where to see the visible planets.

Star Clusters
Open Globular Star Clusters

What is a star cluster and how are they different from each other.

Sun
Our Magnetic Sun

Twinkle, twinkle little star! Which star is closest and what are its properties?

Great Horned Owl sitting on a branch
The Silent Flight of Owls

Owls are the ultimate nocturnal hunters. But how are they able to sneak up on their prey?

Elk
Do you have tapetum lucidum?

Spot animals on the side of the road at night by the shine of their eyes? What causes eyeshine and how does it help animals see in the dark?

Ranger with child at table
Make your own Astrolabe

Have you ever wondered about how astronomers learned about the movement of Earth and the placement of constellations throughout the galaxy?

cookies arranged in a circle as eight phases of the moon
Cookie Moon Phases

Have you ever wondered why the moon looks a little bit different every night?

Asteroid Impact Model with flour, sprinkles, cocoa, and rocks
Asteroid Impact Model

What does it look like when an asteroid crashes into the moon and how are craters formed?

 
Constellation
Cassiopeia and Cepheus

Constellation

 

Last updated: September 8, 2024

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Contact Info

Mailing Address:

PO Box 7
Medora, ND 58645

Phone:

701 623-4466

Contact Us