Wichita State University has partnered with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory to lead a livestream star party at 9 p.m. Friday, May 22, in an effort to keep the nation connected to the night sky and to each other.

“Star parties show the accessibility of the universe to everyone. Through Wichita State University’s Cohen Honors College, I’ve been able to share the sky with hundreds of students and teach astrophotography to a core group,” said Martin Ratcliffe, Dorothy and Bill Cohen Honors College Faculty Fellow at WSU. “When someone sees what they can do with today’s technology, their eyes light up. Even if it’s cloudy locally, sites across the nation will be clear and you can join in.”

The star party features astronomers and observatories in every time zone, and participants can expect to learn about star parties and to see the night sky across the country.

“For most viewers, the experience will be like moving backwards in time through the night sky,” said Amy Oliver, public affairs officer, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, and Visitor & Science Center manager, Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory. “When the star party begins, it will be dark on the East coast but still light out in Arizona. By moving backwards through time zones, we give everyone watching the opportunity to see more of the night sky.”

Launching and maintaining nationwide star parties isn’t an easy task and requires patience and cooperation from multiple astronomers and observatories, as well as support from the public.

“Nationwide Livestream Star Party was borne of the Smithsonian Institution’s mission to provide the very best educational experiences for the communities that we serve,” said Oliver. “The people we’re connecting with, both community members and presenters, are people we may never have had the opportunity to engage with otherwise.”

Friday’s Nationwide Livestream Star Party is a result of the nationwide response to the first event, held in April 2020, with results that far exceeded expectations.

“We expected about 500 people to attend our first star party,” said Oliver. “During the live event, more than 1,700 computers logged on, and that means about 3,400 people showed up to the star party. Since then, nearly an additional 1,000 computers have replayed that star party. That tells us that our collective communities want these star parties to happen, and we’re ready to keep going.”

The star party features Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory in Amado, Arizona; University of Arizona’s Mt. Lemmon Sky Center in Tucson, Arizona; astronomer Brian Cummins of Chantilly, Virginia; Pieter Strauss, astronomer on behalf of Utah Astronomy Club, Colorado; Emil Buehler Planetarium at Seminole State College, Florida; and, Martin Ratcliffe, astronomer on behalf of Wichita State University Cohen Honors College. Several participants are members of the NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassadors volunteer corps. 

The star party can be accessed directly on YouTube. Guests of the event will be able to interact with the panel by writing comments on the live feed.

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