Night Sky

SILVER SPRINGS, Nev. – Fort Churchill State Historic Park is offering a variety of ranger-led programs during the month of June. Programs highlight the area’s rich history and abundant natural resources.

Hundreds of Nevada law enforcement officers were in Carson City Thursday to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice and to memorialize a North Las Vegas Police detective who died earlier this year.

The names of all fallen peace officers killed in the line duty throughout state history were read Wednesday night in a public gathering that precedes the 20th Annual Nevada Law Enforcement Officers Memorial ceremony scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday on the Capitol grounds in Carson City.

SILVER SPRINGS, Nev. – Fort Churchill State Historic Park is offering a variety of ranger-led programs during the month of April. Programs highlight the area’s rich history and abundant natural resources.

Discover the past and present of Washoe Lake State Park, explore the sand dunes by the light of the moon and celebrate winter solstice with a leisurely stargazing hike through the park.

Although it is among billions of galaxies in the universe, the Milky Way has long been a curiosity for humans because of the way it glows and arches across the night sky.

It’s Friday, Carson City. Time to shake off the workweek and take a break. The Trippin King Snakes hit the stage at Living the Good Life and will keep you on the dance floor. Capital City Arts Initiative keeps three galleries packed with new and interesting exhibits. Today, they welcome artist Chelsea Pegram to their space on the second floor of the Courthouse: all are welcome to the reception this evening at 5 p.m. The night sky is the topic of today’s program at Washoe Lake State Park; look up after dusk for a chance to catch some shooting stars.

FRIDAY:

Holy smokes, it’s the last day of September! We’ve enjoyed a summer and now it’s time to embrace the pumpkin, scarves, and all things autumn. Enjoy the nice evenings while we have them with an outdoor concert at Living the Good Life or a presentation on the night sky at Washoe Lake State Park. Sassafras is the place for some bluesy Americana with Muddy Boots and the Porch Pounders. Help cheer on our new Wildcats Soccer Team as they take on UC Davis and shout GO BIG BLUE as the CHS Varsity team battles Galena at tonight’s Homecoming football game. Keep reading for all of our local happenings.

Washoe Lake State Park north of Carson City is offering two interpretive programs during the month of September, including a full moon hike and an astronomy program.

Wells Fargo bank employees lent Western Nevada College their helping hands last week to prepare its Jack C. Davis Observatory for the WNC Foundation’s ‘Reach for the Stars’ Black Tie Gala fundraiser on Saturday, Aug. 20.

LAKE TAHOE, Nev. – Enjoy a guided tour of starry wonders with professional stargazer Gigi Giles. Delight in a unique and educational experience as you peer through high powered telescopes and astronomical binoculars in the fresh mountain air. Spooner Lake’s limited light pollution provides exceptional views of the night sky. Please wear comfortable shoes and bring a flashlight.

WHEN: Friday, July 29, 8:00 p.m.

WHERE: Spooner Lake State Park, just north of Highway 50 on State Route 28.

COST: Event is free, and park entry fees will be waived.

Washoe Lake State Park is offering a variety of events during the month of June, including an astronomy program with telescopes, a slide presentation about Washoe Lake, a campfire program and a full moon hike.

Fort Churchill State Historic Park in Silver Springs is offering a variety of ranger-led programs during the month of June. Programs highlight the area’s rich history and abundant natural resources.

Come experience the awesome night sky over Fort Churchill State Historic Park at Friday's "Starry Night" event.

Details: The Night Sky Star Train pulls out of Ely for a special journey to view the wonders of the galaxy. A telescope viewing guided by the Dark Rangers of Great Basin National Park will put you in touch with those beautiful stars of ours. Snacks, beer, and other beverages are available for purchase on-board.

Address: Nevada Northern Railway, 1100 Avenue A, Ely, NV 89301
(at the end of  E.11th Street, off of US 93)

Website: http://www.NNRY.com
Tickets: http://www.nnry.com/pages/special.php - calendar

SILVER SPRINGS, Nev. – Fort Churchill State Historic Park is offering a variety of ranger-led programs during the month of May. These family friendly events highlight the area’s rich history and abundant natural resources.

Starry, Starry Night
Tour the starry skies over Fort Churchill State Historic Park while talking about the night sky as a remarkable natural resource to be celebrated and enjoyed. Please dress for the weather. Red lights are encouraged.

WHEN: Saturday, May 7, 8:30 p.m. – 9:45 p.m.

A mysterious light that streaked across the night sky Saturday, visible as far away as Nevada and Arizona, was a Trident missile test-fired by the Navy, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
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KOLO reports it has spoken with the Orange County Sheriff's Office and they said the light in the sky was confirmed through the John Wayne Airport tower to be a Naval test fire off the coast. No further details.
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A handful of people have contacted Carson City and Lyon County dispatch saying they observed something fly overhead in the skies tonight. Carson City dispatch said they received one call, and Lyon County dispatch also reportedly were contacted by people asking about the object in the sky at around 6 tonight.

Fort Churchill State Historic Park in Silver Springs is offering a variety of ranger-led programs during the month of September. Programs highlight the area’s rich history and abundant natural resources.

CSI: Critter Scene Investigation Fort Churchill:

Fort Churchill State Historic Park in Silver Springs is offering a variety of ranger-led programs during the month of May, highlighting the area’s rich history and abundant natural resources.

This is a reminder to pick up a widely-distributed and widely-read, outdoor publication known as “Fishing The California Alps.”
That annual newspaper is your personal guide to the fishing, camping, sightseeing and vacationing world in this part of the West, and it has many pages of detailed, in-depth information provided by experts in their specific areas of knowledge and experience.

Two recent solar storms may produce northern lights visible over Northern Nevada on Friday and Saturday.
NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center predicts that the two solar eruptions that happened earlier this week will travel past Earth, producing geomagnetic storms — explosions of magnetic field and plasma from the Sun's corona out into space.

Saturday evenings are stellar this summer at the Jack C. Davis Observatory of Western Nevada College. A series of free slide lectures will be offered through August 23. Doors open at 7 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. lectures.

On Saturday, July 26, John Dykes, a resident photographer, presents a lecture about the art of astrophotography. Dykes explains this process and shows many slides of his work.

Upcoming lectures include:

UPDATE: With the July 4 holiday weekend approaching, Nevada Rural Counties RVSP is planning a spectacular fireworks celebration over Carson City to go along with its 22nd annual holiday carnival at Mills Park.

Discover the wonders of the night sky at Washoe Lake State Park on Saturday, June 21 as local astronomy experts Jay Lawson and Adam Kremers will have telescopes set up to view Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, and all the best objects of the summer Milky Way.

The Summer Solstice Astronomy Party runs from from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. or later at the Maze/Playground (Overflow) parking area inside Washoe Lake State Park.

Saturday evenings will be stellar this summer at the Jack C. Davis Observatory of Western Nevada College. A series of free slide lectures will be offered, June 14 through August 23. Doors open at 7 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. lectures.

Mike Thomas will offer lectures on June 14, July 12, August 9 and August 23. John Dykes will offer a lecture on July 26. On all Saturday evenings, the observatory will continue its Saturday Star Parties featuring free telescope viewing at the Carson City location.

Lecture Topics include:

Enjoy a wondrous evening under the stars with our friends from Great Basin National Park as they host the Star Train at Nevada Northern Railway, Saturday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m.

There will be a trivia contest on board with prizes for those with their thinking caps on. Passengers will be let off the train in order to gaze through telescopes at the night sky, guided by the Dark Rangers of Great Basin National Park. This is a great train ride that the whole family can enjoy.

Discover the wonders of star and planet gazing. Astronomy experts Jay Lawson and Adam Kremers will set up their high-powered telescopes to view the Venus, the Milky Way galaxy, Saturn and its rings and moons as well as many other fascinating objects in the night sky.

WHAT: Stargazing at Washoe Lake State Park
WHEN: Saturday, August 10, from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Mike Beck brings cowboy songs and the tradition of storytelling through music to Café at Adele’s Thursday, Aug. 22, as the Summer Concert Series on the Veranda continues.

A favorite performer on the Cowboy Poetry circuit, singer-songwriter, poet and working cowboy Beck is touring in support of his album “Tribute,” which showcases original horse songs written through the years, raising money for The Joyful Horse Project, a non-profit organization based in Austin, Texas that pairs combat veterans with rescue horses being trained for rehabilitation.

A fascinating and colorful exhibition of space photography is on display in Carson City at the Western Nevada College Main Art Gallery through August. 23. The collection contains several dozen large photographs of Earth’s moon, planets in our Solar System and their moons, and colorful nebulae.

A photograph of the Observatory under the night sky, taken over a 40-minute duration, offers a fascinating look at the movement of stars in the night sky.

Discover the wonders of star and planet gazing. Astronomy experts Jay Lawson and Adam Kremers will set up high powered telescopes to view the moons of Jupiter, the Milky Way galaxy and many other fascinating objects in the night sky.

WHAT: Stargaze Program
WHEN: Saturday, May 11 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
WHERE: Participants will meet at the overflow boat area.

More than a decade ago, a Western Nevada College physics professor’s dream, a desire by college students to learn about astronomy, and the Carson City community's willingness to help make dreams come true, all converged to create the Jack C. Davis Observatory.

Now, WNC and the observatory staff and volunteers have planned a stellar celebration from May 2-15 to commemorate 10 years of science and discovery in Nevada’s capital city.