Kanab’s Stellar Vista
It is startling to realize that humanity’s view of the stars now resides on the endangered list for most humans who can no longer enjoy a starry sky from where they live. The nonprofit Stellar Vista Observatory aims to enable residents and visitors to enjoy and more fully comprehend the celestial beauty of southern Utah’s starry nights with the creation of a public educational observatory in Kanab, Utah.
Due to its geographical remoteness, the proximity of numerous national and state parks, national forests and monuments and the absence of light pollution, Kane County, Utah is one of the darkest regions of the western Colorado Plateau. The gateway community of Kanab is exceptionally well situated for astronomical viewing yet there is no public observatory here. Stellar Vista Observatory will fill this need.
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Sky Report: May 29 – June 4, 2023
May 27, 2023Turning first to planets, Mars and Venus form a pretty pair in the evening sky. They’re only 11° apart – the width of your fist held at arm’s length — but they’re very unmatched in brightness. Venus is the brightest thing in the night sky (other than the moon) but Mars is only 1/150 as […]…
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Sky Report: May 22 – 29
May 21, 2023This week the moon passes Venus and then Mars, but it gets especially close to neither. On the evening of the 22nd it’s 5° to the lower right of Venus and both will fit within a pair of most binoculars. On the 23rd the moon is 6½° to the upper left of Venus and the […]…
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Sky Report: May 15 – 21
May 15, 2023Venus and Mars continue to delight as they slowly cross the winter Milky Way where you can easily follow their movement night by night. Because they’re in front of the Milky Way there are many stars behind them to chart their progress, so take advantage of this opportunity; generally planets aren’t in front of the […]…
