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Friday, February 21, 2025
7:00 PM - February 23 @ 2:00 PM

Death Valley Dark Sky Festival

Caltech Astronomy is once again teaming up with the National Park Service to help host the Death Valley Dark Sky Festival over the weekend February 21-23.  This event will feature science demonstrations, public-level astronomy presentations, field walks with scientists, Astronomy on Tap events, and telescope viewing in some of the darkest skies in California. The whole event is free once you have gained entrance to Death Valley National Park, a few hours drive from Pasadena.  

Caltech astronomers will be hosting two Astronomy on Tap nights (see below), an astrophysicist Q&A panel, a public presentation on energy transfer and the history of our universe by Cameron Hummels, various science demonstrations, and both dark-sky and solar telescope viewing.  We hope to see you out there!  For more information about the event including a full schedule, see the Death Valley NP website.

Astronomy on Tap is a global phenomenon where professional astronomers give informal science talks in local bars with accompanying pub trivia and interactions with the public.
Each event consists of two ~20-minute informal science talks given by researchers in astronomy, physics, and space science followed by Q&A. In the intermission periods, we have guided stargazing with telescopes, and astro-themed pub trivia. Event is free and open to all. No reservations necessary. We will be hosting two very special Astronomy on Tap events at the Death Valley Dark Sky Festival.

Friday, February 21 @ 7:30PM
Badwater Saloon, Stovepipe Wells, Death Valley National Park
Emily Silich: "Galaxy Clusters Collide: The Most Energetic Events since the Big Bang"
Mike Kelzenberg: "Can We Send Spacecraft to Exoplanets?"

Saturday, February 22 @ 7:30PM
Wildrose Tavern, Furnace Creek, Death Valley National Park
Delaney Dunne: "Cannibal Galaxies"
Aniket Sanghi: "Photographing Distant Alien Worlds"

For more information, please contact Cameron Hummels by email at chummels@caltech.edu.