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Annual Star Party kicks off this Saturday

GRAND CANYON, Ariz. - Most visitors leave the Rim after the sun goes down, but for a group gathered there this week, that's when the most spectacular viewing begins.

The 19th annual Grand Canyon Star Party begins Saturday and runs through Saturday, June 20, on the South and North rims.

This event is sponsored by the National Park Service, the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association (South Rim) and the Saguaro Astronomy Club of Phoenix (North Rim).

Amateur astronomers from across the country will volunteer their expertise. Free star programs will be offered, and numerous telescopes will be set up to view planets, star clusters, galaxies, and nebulae at night, and to view the sun by day. Grand Canyon is one of the best night sky viewing sites in the United States; and Grand Canyon National Park is proud to be offering a star party event during the International Year of Astronomy.

On the South Rim, events include a slide show nightly at 8 p.m. next to Yavapai Observation Station, followed by free telescope viewing.

Parking is very limited. Plan to walk or arrive by free shuttle bus. For a comfortable spot at the slide shows, arrive early and bring something to sit on. Telescope viewing continues well into the night. Visitors may arrive anytime after dark.

On the North Rim, the nightly slide program will be held at 7 p.m. in the Grand Canyon Lodge auditorium. Telescopes will be set up on the porch of the lodge every evening.

Look for telescopes set up during the day for solar viewing, and check the bulletin board at the Visitor Center for additional events.

The Star Party traces its origins back to the 70s and 80s, when the San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers would travel to western parks each year with their telescopes, inviting visitors to join them as they probed the ultra-dark skies.

The Grand Canyon Star Party, in its present form, was established 19 years ago during Tucson resident and amateur astronomer Dean Ketelsen's honeymoon, when he and his late wife, Vicki, set up a telescope here, attracting dozens of curious onlookers.

Since then, Ketelsen and others have returned each year to find that curiosity continues, with lines forming at each of the dozens of telescopes set up in the Yavapai parking lot and groups gathering as the astronomers answer questions or break out the sky atlases to help viewers understand what they're seeing.

For those who don't know where to begin exploring the night sky, or the telescope options, star parties like these provide an orientation to landmarks in space and the chance to try out different kinds of equipment.

Look for telescopes set up during the day for solar viewing, and check the bulletin board at the Visitor Center for additional events.

Weather permitting, expect spectacular views of the universe, but be aware that nighttime temperatures at the Canyon can be quite cool, even in summer.

Those attending the star parties are encouraged to bring warm layers of clothing. Visitors to the South Rim Star Party will need a flashlight for the walk to the viewing area.

To learn more about this yearπs star parties, visit the park's Web site at www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/star-party.htm.

For information on the South Rim Star Party, contact Marge Ullmann at (928) 638-7789. For more on the North Rim Star Party, contact Robin Tellis at (928) 638-7739.


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