DEATH VALLEY (KTNV) — The annual Death Valley Dark Sky Festival returns once again for stargazers and enthusiasts asking the question, "what wonders are beyond our world?"
Day one of the festival is Friday, Feb. 21 and runs through the weekend to Sunday, Feb. 23.
Looking deeper: Find out the similarities between Death Valley and Saturn's moon, Titan. Click here
But before the festival kicks off on Friday, a virtual "lift off" event is taking place Thursday, Feb. 20, at 6 p.m with Dr. Mike Malaska, a scientist in the Planetary Ices Group at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Dr. Malaska's presentation will focus on the parallels between Death Valley and the surface of one of Saturn's moons — Titan. For more information on this event, visit the webpage here.
As a Gold Tier Sark Sky Park, Death Valley holds one of the highest ratings for darkness in the night sky, according to DarkSky International — making it an ideal place for a festival of this nature.
There will be a wide range of events for festival-goers to enjoy and learn from such as:
- Auditorium talks to learn about the mysteries of the universe.
- Exploration fairs to learn about the cosmos.
- Talks around the park with field scientists.
- Astrophotography meetups.
- Astronomy programs with rangers and telescope viewings.
- And more family programs!
For a full list of events, including a schedule, visit their webpage here.
