This week is International Dark Sky Week. Although astronomers and stargazers are not meeting up in-person this year to gaze up at our marvelous night sky, enthusiasts are still celebrating online and from the comfort of their homes.
International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) has put together a schedule full of at-home stargazing activities including Q&A sessions, informational lectures on pollution, and tips on seeing stars from home.
Some schedule highlights include IDA Director of Public Policy John Barentine discussing a different “Lost Constellation” each day at 3 pm PDT and National Geographic photographer Babek Tafreshi answering questions about astrophotography at 11 am PDT on April 24.
You can view the whole schedule of events on the International Dark Sky Week website. It has events for adults and children such as how to read a star chart and star bingo, as well as some feature events in Spanish and French.
This week’s Dark Sky Week falls during the peak of the Lyrids meteor shower on April 22, so you might be able to see incredible stargazing activity without leaving your yard. If you have astrophotography to share, tag your posts with #NightSkyatHome for a chance to be featured on IDA’s website.
Reduced air pollution and industrial lights will help make this socially distanced Dark Sky Week even more amazing, so get outside and celebrate by looking up!
