Sep 11

2023 Southwest Astronomy Festival Comes to Kanab!

This week on September 15, 16 and 17, the National Park Service, in collaboration with community partners, invites everyone to experience the wonders of the stars at a wide range of activities in southwest Utah’s Washington, Kane and Iron Counties. Participating agencies, communities and organizations include Cedar Breaks National Monument, Zion National Park, Utah Department […]

Sep 11

A Star Party for Grandparents Day!

At this month’s free public star party, compliments of Kanab’s Stellar Vista Observatory, grandparents are invited to bring their grandchildren to Kanab City Library for a laser guided tour of the late summer constellations and a look at the stars, star clusters and even a few nebulae deep in our Milky Way galaxy! For this […]

Aug 7

Meteor Shower Star Party!

By design, Stellar Vista Observatory’s free monthly public star party in Kanab, scheduled for Saturday, August, 12, coincides with the peak of the 2023 Perseid Meteor Shower! With our moon only 10% illuminated and setting at 6:36 pm, natural darkness will favor the excitement of witnessing “falling stars.” If conditions are clear, one could expect […]

Jul 24

Three Planets Line Up!

Friday evening, July 21, treat yourself to the exhilarating experience of looking deep into space at the planets, moon and stars. Each month of the year Kanab’s nonprofit Stellar Vista Observatory (SVO) hosts a free star party for public enjoyment and appreciation of the night sky. Now that mid-summer is here and nights are warm […]

Jun 12

Summer Solstice Star Party – June 21st

Free public star parties are held monthly throughout the year in Kanab, courtesy of the local nonprofit Stellar Vista Observatory. Residents and visitors are invited to experience the stars and bring forth the spirit of wonder as to how it all came to be and where humanity might comprehend itself within the immense and majestic […]

Apr 12

Celebrate International Dark Sky Week in Kanab!

Between April 15 and 22, people around the world who recognize the many values of natural darkness will participate in an annual worldwide event. According the the International Dark Sky Association (IDA), home lighting assessments, activities for kids and families, actions to protect the night sky by reducing light pollution and star parties are just […]

Mar 13

Planets and Stars of the Spring Sky

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 […]

Feb 21

Storm Advisory!

Tonight’s Public Star Party at Jackson Flat Reservoir Boar Launch Parking Area (Tuesday, February 21) is likely to be brief due to an oncoming storm forecasting high winds and cloud cover although an 80% chance exists for at least a window of clear sky between 7:00 and 8:00 o’clock. We’ll be there ready to begin […]

Feb 15

Indigenous Perspectives – Leave No Trace

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2023: Indigenous Perspectives and Dark Sky Leave No Trace Principles with Autumn Gillard and Stellar Vista Observatory7 p.m. – 10 p.m., meet @ BLM Kanab Visitor Center, carpool/caravan to Ponderosa Grove campground. Join Autumn Gillard, who is a maternal descendant of the Cedar Band of Paiutes from the Paiute Indian Tribe of […]

Feb 8

Comet ZTF Visits Mars on Feb 10!

This Friday evening from 8 PM to 10 PM, SVO will set up a couple of telescopes at the Sand Caves parking area off US-89 north of Kanab to provide everyone a chance to observe Comet C2023 E3 (ZTF) as it whizzes past the planet Mars! On that night, the two celestial objects will be […]