The final weekend of the third annual Northwoods Lights Out event, which aims to raise awareness about light pollution, is set for Friday through Sunday, Aug. 22-24.
A Star Party will kick off the event on Thursday, Aug. 21, at 7:30 p.m. at Nicolet College. The community is invited to bring blankets or chairs for star viewing from 8 to 10:30 p.m. In case of rain or cloud cover, the party will be held Friday, Aug. 22.
The event will feature celestial study and dark sky conversation with Jim Head, NASA/JPL solar system ambassador from the Northwoods Explorers of Space and Astronomy in Minocqua, and Michele Sadauskas, Oneida County conservationist.
Participants can enjoy viewing the Perseid Meteors and the Delta Aquariids, look through telescopes to see nebulae, star clusters, and double stars, and observe the night sky through a camera lens to reveal even more.
Star cookies and lemonade will be available, and local artist Tom Barnett will create a live star-themed painting to be given away.
To register, call the Oneida County Land and Water Conservation Department at 715-369-7835 or visit oclw.org/northwoods-lights-out.html.
The Oneida County Land and Water Conservation Department, along with Nicolet College, Northwoods Explorers, and the Vilas County Land and Water Conservation Department, encourage residents to help protect the night sky from light pollution.
Suggestions include turning off unnecessary outdoor lights, using motion-sensor lighting, and directing lights downward where illumination is actually needed.
Organizers also recommend using energy-efficient bulbs in warm amber, orange, or red tones, which are less disruptive to insects, amphibians, migrating birds, and other nocturnal wildlife.
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