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.
-
Sky Report: March 27 – April 2
March 26, 2023I wrote that we’ll lose Jupiter before March ends, and for practical purposes that is true, but Jupiter is in a close conjunction with Mercury on the 27th and that may prompt people who enjoy a challenge to break out the binoculars and try to see it. Jupiter has been sinking in the west, setting […]…
-
Sky Report: March 20 – 26
March 19, 2023There are two bright “major” planets in the sky tonight, and they’re trivial to see, plus one “minor” planet that you can see with a pair of binoculars (which every stargazer must have!) or any telescope and add it to your list of solar system conquests. Here’s how to find them. The two major planets […]…
-
March 13, 2023
As we look ahead to the passage of an unusually cold and wet winter, amateur astronomers with Kanab’s Stellar Vista Observatory (SVO) are optimistic about the sky conditions for the next observing event in their 2023 series of free public star parties. If you love the night sky glittering with stars, seeing them through the […]…
