Festival next week celebrates wonders of the night sky

One of the most unfortunate developments on new model RVs in recent years has been built-in outside lighting. Sometimes it’s functional, but often it’s just for show—another “gadget” to help sell an RV.

Because some RVers feel compelled to turn on these lights at all hours, for whatever reason, the result is that at night, the Milky Way and all its stars and planets above are drowned out. What a shame, because a dark night sky could likely qualify as the eighth wonder of the world.

Lucky for us, dark sky areas are regularly being designated in national parks and other rural areas. But few places can match the beauty of the night skies above Bryce Canyon National Park.

And one of the year’s best stargazing events returns to the Utah park on June 11 to 13, when the annual Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival transforms the park into a giant outdoor classroom focused on the wonders of the night sky.

If your plans are not set in stone and you can scoot over to this magnificent park in time for the festival, you’re in for a treat. The free event combines astronomy presentations, hands-on exhibits and nighttime telescope viewing in one of the darkest places in North America.

Daytime activities

During the day, visitors can safely observe the sun through specialized solar telescopes, explore astronomy exhibits and educational displays, and attend presentations by astronomers, researchers and other space-science experts. NASA and university exhibits are typically among the festival’s attractions, along with family-friendly activities designed to introduce visitors to astronomy.

After sunset, the festival shifts its focus to the night sky. Ranger-led programs explain the constellations, planets and deep-space objects visible overhead, along with recent discoveries in astronomy and space exploration.

Evening highlights

The evening’s highlight comes when volunteer astronomers and astronomy clubs set up dozens of telescopes for public viewing. Visitors may get a close look at Saturn’s rings, Jupiter and its moons, colorful nebulae, star clusters and even distant galaxies located millions of light years from Earth.

Designated an International Dark Sky Park, Bryce Canyon has exceptionally low levels of light pollution. On a clear, moonless night, visitors can see about 7,500 stars with the naked eye, while the Milky Way often stretches across the sky above the park’s famous red-rock hoodoos.

Festival organizers say the event is designed for everyone, not just experienced astronomers. Most attendees are families, photographers, RVers and other campers looking to experience a truly dark night sky.

For many RVers, the festival offers a rare opportunity to view a universe that has largely disappeared from much of modern America.

Camping opportunities

We doubt you’ll be able to land a last minute campsite in the parks’ two campgrounds, but you can try. There are others in the nearby national forests. Ruby’s Inn RV Park and Campground is the most convenient, at a mile outside the park’s entrance.

Another excellent option, where the star gazing should also be magnificent, is about 30 minutes away in spectacular Kodachrome Basin State Park, where reservations are easier to come by than at Bryce Canyon itself.

If you camp in the national park, turn off your outdoor lights!

RELATED

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• Thousand Hills State Park: Missouri’s first official Dark Sky haven

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