UNDER THE NIGHT SKY – HALF THE PARK IS AFTER DARK
Saturday, April 12, 2014, 8 p.m.
Night Sky Location: Muncy Heritage Park & Nature Trail, 601 Pepper Street, Muncy
Free Admission (Rain or Shine); Pre-registration required by calling 570-546-5917
Life for a runaway was full of hazards. A journey to freedom meant traveling by night, using the North Star as a guide and trying to avoid search parties. In addition to the North Star, aka the “drinking gourd,” the night sky is filled with stars and constellations that were very important to the conductors and voyagers along the UGRR. Since most travelling was done under the cover of night, stars and other celestial objects were used as guides to direct slaves north. The park is the ideal location to explore the night sky outdoors while imagining how to navigate by recognizing these astronomical guides.
Join us for a brief Astronomy 101 presentation at the Educational Pavilion before looking at the sky through one of the telescopes brought to the Park for this special evening. All young participants will receive a “Glow in the Dark Star Finder” so they can continue their night sky exploration on their own. While waiting for a turn on a telescope venture over to the grill area – hot dogs and hot chocolate will be for sale.
Chris Della Piazza, who has been an amateur astronomer and astrophotographer since 1992, will lead this evening program. He operates a private observatory from his backyard in Muncy and specializes in deep sky imaging of galaxies.
