International Dark Sky Week is later this month, April 21-28, 2025. The NISE Network is very grateful to our friends at The Powerhouse in Durango, Colorado for sharing about their Dark Sky Celebration from last spring to spark ideas for festivities this year. We thank The Powerhouse for allowing our resources to play a role in the event, and for their commitment to engaging the community in such topics!
The Powerhouse in Durango, Colorado brought the wonder of the night sky to life at our Dark Sky Celebration in spring 2024! The four corners region of the southwest has access to some of the best stargazing in the country. However, growing communities increasingly threaten our night skies. As a major youth STEAM education institution in the area, The Powerhouse was excited to partner with tourism organization Visit Durango to bring awareness about our night skies through the NISE Network's exhibition, “Sun, Earth, Universe."
Thanks to sponsorship from Visit Durango, The Powerhouse was able to bring “Sun, Earth, Universe” to the museum. This NISE Network developed exhibition highlights the immensity of space, the practical components of astronomical discovery, and asks visitors of all ages to reflect on our place in the universe.
“Sun, Earth Universe” was a natural complement to Visit Durango’s ongoing efforts towards acquiring Dark Sky Community Certification for our city. This process has involved active collaboration with local government and businesses to create achievable restrictions that curb light pollution. As Durango preserves the night skies, “Sun, Earth, Universe” inspires curiosity about the astral bodies above.
To celebrate our temporary addition to the museum and to spread awareness of dark sky initiatives, The Powerhouse and Visit Durango teamed up to hold a Dark Sky Celebration. This event was an open house for families to celebrate the opening of “Sun, Earth, Universe” in our gallery, and to celebrate the community’s progress towards more pristine night skies.
We offered free admission to our gallery and educational activities highlighting the magic of the night skies and our collective responsibility to manage light pollution. Educators used legos and flashlights to demonstrate the effectiveness of directional lighting to curb light pollution in our city streets. Kids replicated constellation patterns with marshmallows and toothpicks.
As part of Dark Sky month in Durango, Visit Durango put together five stargazing kits that are available to borrow at the local welcome center. These kits include binoculars, star finders, red lights, light quality meters, and clamps for smartphones to take photos through binoculars. Educators led attendees through demonstrations of these tools to empower their own exploration (learn more about this self-guided experience kit on Visit Durango's Stargazing page).
The event was also visited by a representative from DarkSky International to share more with attendees about the certification process and the importance of night skies to our local ecosystems.
The Dark Sky Celebration melded Visit Durango’s community advocacy with The Powerhouse’s science communication to create an event that inspired curiosity in learners of all ages about their role in curbing light pollution. We are thrilled to have “Sun, Earth, Universe” in Durango to continue to explore the wonders of space.
See Visit Durango's promotional videos from last year's event on Facebook: