The Flagstaff Star Party - 'Meet the Stars' - Begins Sept. 17 at Buffalo Park

Flagstaff, AZ, August 10, 2015 (Newswire.com) - ​​​An exciting partnership of astronomers, educators and star enthusiasts are bringing a three-day celebration of the wonders of the night sky to Flagstaff this September.

The Flagstaff Star Party - “Meet the Stars,” being held Thursday, September 17 through Saturday, September 19 in Buffalo Park, is a free event featuring telescope viewing, presentations by astronomers, and family fun events aimed at engaging families and capturing their imagination about space science and the stars. Every night of the event between 7-10 p.m. telescope viewing will be offered and starting at 8 p.m. and every half-hour, “Meet a Constellation” guided tours will be conducted as well.

"Part of this celebration is to make sure that future generations are able to enjoy Northern Arizona's extraordinary dark skies and appreciate the measures needed to preserve them."

Christian B. Luginbuhl , Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition

But the event is also to recognize the important role of astronomy in Northern Arizona’s history, culture and local economy. As the first International Dark-Sky City, and where Pluto and its moon Charon were discovered, Flagstaff draws thousands of visitors annually to enjoy our unique star-gazing opportunities.

“Part of this celebration is to make sure that future generations are able to enjoy Northern Arizona’s extraordinary dark skies and appreciate the measures needed to preserve them,” said Christian B. Luginbuhl of the Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition, the lead organizer of the event.

The city’s astronomy sector is growing, said Richard Bowen, President/CEO of the Economic Collaborative of Northern Arizona, another key partner in the celebration.

“We have quality, high-paying jobs at facilities like Lowell Observatory and the US Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station,” Bowen said. “Lowell’s Discovery Channel Telescope will generate more than $500 million in economic impact in Northern Arizona, and Northern Arizona University now offers a PhD level program in astronomy.”

A highlight of this year’s celebration will be a demonstration of how to capture the beauty of the night skies on your camera. Stan Honda, a photojournalist for 34 years, most recently for Agence France-Presse (AFP), known for his work on night sky landscapes, will hold a workshop introducing basic techniques to capture beautiful night sky photos with modern digital equipment.

Other events from 3 – 3:30 p.m. during the three days include:

• Thursday the 17th - A Walk Around Our Stellar Neighborhood: Dr. Jeffrey Hall, Director of the Lowell Observatory, gives a comparison of nearby stars to “naked eye” stars.
   
• Friday the 18th - How Do We Know Where We Are? Stars and Clocks!: Dr. Marc Murison of the US Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station will describe how we (or our devices) use stars and clocks to figure out where we are on the surface of the Earth.
   
• Saturday the 19th - Discovering New Worlds: Dr. David Koerner of Northern Arizona University will explain the searches to discover planets circling around our neighboring stars and how this will improve odds of discovering extra-terrestrial life.

In addition, each evening will begin with a sunset talk at 6 pm, followed by a night sky orientation at 7 pm.

A complete schedule of events is available at FlagstaffStarParty.org.

The Star Party is being held in collaboration with The Flagstaff Festival of Science. In addition to the Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition and ECONA, partners in the event are the Flagstaff Unified School District, Lowell Observatory, the Physics & Astronomy Department of Northern Arizona University, Coconino Astronomical Society, the National Park Service, and the US Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station. Major sponsors include: Vintage Partners, Findlay Automotive Group, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff Medical Center, the City of Flagstaff and Nestle Purina.