Immerse yourself in an enjoyable and educational exploration of the night sky this Earth Day, April 20, 2019 at Sky Meadows State Park, thanks to the Friends of Sky Meadows. The event begins at 8 p.m. for an evening full of activity at the convergence of the Lyrid meteor shower and the near full moon.

The activities will kick off at 8:30 p.m. with a movie provided by the American Conservation Film Festival. Learn about the need to preserve dark skies, as well as ways you can fight light pollution in the one-hour featured film, Saving the Dark.

Following the film, at 9:30 p.m., hear from Virginia Master Naturalists and International Dark Sky Association representatives about the effects of light pollution on native wildlife, starting with a child-friendly conversation about the animals of Sky Meadows.

At 10:30 p.m. we will turn our attention to the Lyrid meteor shower as an astronomer informs you about the Lyrid phenomenon and gives guidance for how to capture meteors on film. At 11 p.m. the topic will change to tips for catching photographs of the moon, planets, Milky Way, and deep space objects with your devices.

Throughout the night feel free to venture off from the main activities to enjoy light-up field games or to watch as the Vienna Wireless Society attempts to bounce radio waves off of meteors. Sky Meadows Dark Sky volunteers will also be around with telescopes for deep space viewing, and help catching meteors streak across the sky (estimated visibility rate of 6-10 per hour).

We hope you come join us for this magical opportunity to connect with family, friends, and the night sky at Sky Meadows State Park.

All this for just $25 per car, with all proceeds benefitting the Friends of Sky Meadows.

Though the main activities will end around 11:45 p.m., all participants are welcome to stay throughout the night for continued sky observation and fun. Snacks and drinks will be available for sale by the Friends of Sky Meadows.

For more details, and to preregister for this event please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meteors-moon-and-a-movie-tickets-58910672407?aff=ebdssbdestsearch.