Celebrate the Night Sky Week

From nationally renowned speakers to star parties, there's something for everyone during Celebrate the Night Sky Week coming up September 11-17th, 2022.

Why Celebrate the Night Sky? Across our planet, the night sky is getting dimmer. Even along Lake Superior, the stars are harder to see every year. Did you know that light pollution affects the fish in our lakes and the trees in our forests? Darkness plays a critical role in the ecosystem. This year we are bringing awareness to the dimming skies by celebrating an often hidden resource, the night!

Our North Shore celebration week will kick off on Monday, Sept. 12th and run through Saturday Sept. 18th. All week we will have activities and events focused on bringing awareness to our night skies and the importance of darkness to humans, our history, and the biotic community.

2022 Schedule of Events

Monday Sept 12th @ 7pm

Online Webinar

Fifty Nights Under the Stars – A Photographic Journey Through MN

Mike Shaw's Webinar — Register
Here!

Webinar opens @
6:30 pm on Monday
Everyone Welcome!

Award winning night photographer, Dr. Mike Shaw, will share his night images and timelapse videos created while documenting night sky quality for the Bell Museum. The results are both stunning and a call to action.

Webinar Details:

Explore Minnesota's night skies in this family-friendly FREE webinar for 2022 Celebrate the Night Sky Week! Travel across the state from the Gunflint Trail to the Stone Arch Bridge and enjoy views of the Aurora Borealis, Milky Way, Comet NEOWISE, meteors, constellations, and more. Supported by a 2019/2020 Resident Artist Research Proposal (RARP) award from the University of Minnesota's Bell Museum, you will learn how stray light affects what you see in the night sky and how you can help preserve our treasured natural resource - the night sky.

Discover beautiful night sky vistas you can experience from anywhere in Minnesota
Enjoy stunning images and time-lapse videos of Minnesota's night sky treasures: the Northern Lights, Milky Way and more!
Learn how stray light from buildings, vehicles and streetlights affects the night sky and what you can do to help

Register for Dr. Mike Shaw’s webinar @ https://event.webinarjam.com/register/64/oyz1lum3

Wednesday Sept 14th @ 6pm-8:30pm

Night Sky Trivia @ Ursa Minor Brewing

With Prizes!

Plus,

Chat with an Astronomer!

Jessica Rogers, Director of the UMD Planetarium will be in attendance before and after Trivia. So bring your night sky quandaries or figure out why you might have missed one of those tricky trivia questions.

Thursday Sept 15th 7pm

Space Trivia at Amity Coffee House with Prizes!

Presented by Twin Ports Cafe Scientifique

Is Space Trivia the best trivia? Hard to say, but is certainly the furthest reaching.

Join Cafe Sci Twin Ports, Starry Skies North, and Amity Coffee for the 5th annual Space Trivia as part of Celebrate the Night Sky Week 2022. Bring a team, go solo, or we will help find you a team when you get there! Prizes, brain-flexing, and knowledge acquisition will be available for all that attend.

Friday Sept 16th 7pm

“Exploring Dark Skies“ @ 7pm

FREE Planetarium Show at the Alworth Planetarium UMD

Exploring Dark Skies is a live, interactive show and full-dome theater presentation! Learn about traditional star gazing and the cultural context behind the cosmos. This custom show will feature some interesting connections between the stars we see and light pollution. This show has something for curious stargazers of all ages.

After the show there will be Stargazing with Planetarium Telescopes.

Can’t wait to see you and experience the cosmos together!

Saturday Sept 17th @ 10am - 4pm

Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory Informational Display from 10am - 4pm

Starry Skies Naturalist Presentation @ 1pm

How are dark skies and bird migration connected? Learn more Saturday while watching birds migrate overhead on Hawks Ridge. Enjoy a informative presentation by Starry Skies North President Todd Burlet at 1pm.

Saturday Sept 17th @ 6:30pm

Our Celebration Week Main Event! Special Presentations and Star Party

@ Fitgers Spirit of the North Theater

Informational booths!

Before & after presentations.

Starting @ 6:30pm

Presentation - “An Ojibwe Perspective on the Night Sky” @ 7pm

Beautiful images and entertaining stories with Photographer Travis Novitsky an Ojibwe Artist, Author and Storyteller Carl Gawboy

Presentation - “Carnival of Animals, Gods and Exotica — the Origin of the Constellations We Use Today.” @ 8pm

Bob King, “Astro Bob “ takes us on a journey through time and space. You wont want to miss it!

Stargazing! @ 8:45pm Posponded

TONIGHTS STARGAZING UPDATE

* THERE WILL BE NO STARGAZING TONIGHT AT FITGERS PATIO.

* DUE TO WEATHER TONIGHTS STARGAZING HAS BEEN POSTPONED. STAY TUNED FOR FUTURE UPATES...

In the near future we will be hosting a stargazing party with Arrowhead Astronomical Society and UMD Planetarium. Telescopes will be provided and the event will be free and open to the public. Stay tuned for future updates on time and location.

2022 Night Sky Photo & Kids Art Contest!

Get out and Enjoy the Night!

As part of our Celebrate the Night Sky Week events Starry Skies North is hosting a photography contest and children’s art contest. This year we are focused on increasing awareness of the beauty and value of night skies and the importance of darkness to humans, our history, and the biotic community.

To Learn more about the Photo or Art Contest click here!

For more information or questions email starryskiesnorth@gmail.com