Dark Sky Caravan : UMD

The Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium is gearing up to hit the road again for the annual Dark Sky Caravan on August 10th – 15th.

Minnesota is home to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness which is the second largest International Dark Sky Sanctuary in the world. To celebrate dark skies, Planetarium staff will be traveling along the North Shore stopping at different locations each night for a star party. Enjoy fun activities and presentations or the planetarium shows. Once it gets dark, all can gaze through telescopes and get a live sky tour of the stars and constellations visible. Be on the lookout for meteors from the Perseid meteor shower which peaks Aug 12th-13th. If it’s cloudy, don’t worry. Staff will have fun activities and digital sky tours so you can learn what to look for when it clears up.

The list of stops are below:

Aug. 10: 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.: Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium – UMD, Duluth
Aug. 11: 8 p.m. – 10 p.m.: Split Rock Lighthouse, Two Harbors
Aug. 12: 8 p.m. – 11 p.m.: Tettegouche State Park Visitor Center, Silver Bay
Aug. 13: 8 p.m. – 11 p.m.: North House Folk School, Grand Marais
Aug. 14: 7 p.m. – 11 p.m.: Schaap Community Center, Grand Marais
Aug. 15: 6:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.: Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center, Grand Marais

Grab bug spray for some fun under the stars.

For more information, including what to expect each night, click here.

The Planetarium is very thankful to the Gunflint Trail Historical Society, Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center and Visit Cook County for their help in planning, coordinating and running the Dark Sky Caravan.