‘Highlight the Starlight' in Sequoia National Park this September

STARLIGHT? It can take untold years to reach our home planet, something we know and appreciate, and we never get antsy about the passage of time required for this epic act to occur. But we can get overly excited when we know a starry celebration is ahead, wanting to know, as we do, all of the enticing events that will add sparkle to the schedule. And while we've understood that the Dark Sky Festival would soon festoon Sequoia National Park — on the second Saturday of 2023, in fact — the festival's collection of interesting events remained to be seen. But see them, we now can, for the Sequoia Parks Conservancy, the nature-loving group behind the park's annual Dark Sky Festival, has drawn back the curtain on the tempting line-up of science-sparkly goings-on.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 9... will be aglitter with astronomically awesome events. The Foothills Star Party helmed by the Tulare Astronomical Association is one tempting option, while the Kern Astronomical Society Wuksachi Star Party will set up the scopes near the mountain-high lodge. The Giant Forest will have a multitude of dazzle-worthy to-dos, including a look at astrophotography, the Dark Sky Festival Kidz Zone, and the opportunity to ponder the Mars Rovers in an in-depth, super-NASA-riffic way. You'll want to check out where each event is happening before lining up your own schedule, and, yes, the time, too. Astrophysicist Dr. Cameron Hummels is the 2023 celebration's keynote speaker, so be sure to make room for this talk if you're a fan of galaxy formation (and aren't we all). More galactic goodness? Get your Dark Sky Festival 411 at this sparkler of a site.