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A six-day celebration of astronomy held as part of the NC Science Festival's Statewide Star Party
A six-day celebration of astronomy held as part of the NC Science Festival's Statewide Star Party
The Davidson College Physics Department invites you to a Virtual Star Party to be held during the week of April 12, 2021. Due to the ongoing pandemic, all components of this star party will be held virtually. Come explore the wonders of astronomy and the night sky with your family from the comfort of your own home! Due to the virtual nature of this event, we encourage everyone, regardless of location, to participate in as many of the below events as you are able. You are welcome to participate daily or join us for one or two activities. As always, all of our events are free and open to the public.
Important Party Program Details!
Important Party Program Details!
Monday, April 12 – Friday, April 16: Asynchronous hands-on family activities
We invite families to participate in daily themed activities, challenges, and educational content. Each day, a variety of materials will be available on this site to explore. There will be 5 collections of activities – one for each day of the week. A new collection of activities will be released each day of the week of the star party! You will be able to access them either by clicking on the daily activity image or from the navigation bar.
Saturday, April 17: Synchronous Star Party via Zoom from 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Our week of fun will culminate in a synchronous Zoom star party during which you will have a chance to interact with other families, collaborate on friendly challenges, and learn more about our Universe. The theme for the 2021 Statewide Star Party is “The Moon and Mars.” Following our interactive family fun time, a presentation about the future exploration of the Moon and Mars will be offered. Weather permitting, the presentation will be followed by a tour of the night sky, live-streamed through one of the College’s telescopes. Materials for the synchronous portion of the star party and a link to access the Zoom session will be available in the page for Saturday's activities.
Registration
Registration
Registration for the event is requested, but not required. The first 20 families to register using the registration link will receive a free kit of materials that can be used to complete the asynchronous hands-on activities during the week of April 12th. If you are not one of the first 20 registrants, don’t worry! Most activities will be designed to make use of common household items!
Our Events
Our Events
All activities can be accessed by clicking on the images for each activity date or by using the navigation bar on this site. Please note that the links and activities will not be available until the date indicated.
We have created a space for families to share their adventures, photos, and completed activities. We hope that you will consider sharing your star party story with other families, as you are comfortable doing so. Continue scrolling for more information about posting your memories on Padlet!
Day 1: April 12th
Day 1: April 12th
Constellations
Constellations
What ancient stories do the patterns of stars in the nighttime sky tell? Click here on day 1 to learn about the constellations, the myths behind them, and to have some fun making your own!
Image Credit: Jerry Lodriguss
Image Credit: Jerry Lodriguss
Day 2: April 13th
Day 2: April 13th
The Moon
The Moon
Join us on day 2 to "meet" our nearest neighbor, the Moon! Go over the Moon for activities related to the patterns and features that we can see.
Image Credit: Lick Observatory/ESA/Hubble
Image Credit: Lick Observatory/ESA/Hubble
Day 3: April 14th
Day 3: April 14th
Mars
Mars
Are there little green men on the little red planet? On day 3, explore this Martian world through the eyes of NASA's Mars rovers.
Image Credit: NASA
Image Credit: NASA
Day 4: April 15th
Day 4: April 15th
Exploration of the Moon and Mars
Exploration of the Moon and Mars
What else can we learn about the Moon and Mars? Perseverance, the newest NASA rover, landed on Mars in February. NASA's Artemis mission plans to return humans to the Moon by 2024. We will explore these missions on day 4.
Image Credits: NASA and JPL-Caltech
Image Credits: NASA and JPL-Caltech
Day 5: April 16th
Day 5: April 16th
Solar System and Exoplanets
Solar System and Exoplanets
Small rocky planets, huge gas giants, and everything in between! On day 5 we will take a look at the 8 planets orbiting the Sun and other newly discovered worlds that lie beyond our Solar System.
Image Credit: NASA Ames/SETI Institute/JPL-Caltech
Image Credit: NASA Ames/SETI Institute/JPL-Caltech
Day 6: April 17th
Day 6: April 17th
The Live Finale
The Live Finale
Join us LIVE via Zoom on Saturday, April 17th for a Star Party finale. Take part in family friendly trivia, games, and spaced themed presentations. Weather permitting, we will take a virtual telescope tour of the nighttime sky.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ.of Ariz.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ.of Ariz.
Share Your Experience!
Share Your Experience!
We know that an in-person star party is always much more fun than one held virtually. We miss our interactions with all of our star party guests! Since we are unable to be together in the same space, we invite you to connect to one another to share your star party story by posting photos, videos, and notes to Padlet. Please post, leave comments, and/or like what others have shared as often as you are comfortable. We would LOVE to see what you have created! Please share and check out our Padlet board!
Did you build your own Mars rover or bake a batch of Jupiter cookies? Make our Martian mouths water by posting a photo!
Were you inspired to jam out to your favorite astronomy-themed song while stargazing? Share it - we like music too!
Is there a book or video that your family enjoyed to learn more about one of our topics? Pass along the suggestion!
Did someone's performance of the moonwalk knock your socks off! Let them know by liking their post or leaving a comment!
Want to say hello to our friends joining us from all over the world? Leave a note to let us know where you are from!
THE SKY IS THE LIMIT! There are infinite possibilities, so be creative and HAVE FUN!
Padlet is a free and friendly site for all to share and discuss fun experiences from your Star Party activities. Posting to Padlet does not require an account, allows you to post anonymously, and is freely available for Apple devices, Android devices, and desktop. The app also supports uploads of almost every type file, allowing you to share your favorite photos, videos, and audio files of your star party fun. More information about Padlet can be found on their website.
Please note that all Padlet posts are expected to be appropriate and family-friendly. The site administrators reserve the right to delete any posts that are offensive.
Let us know if you'll be attending!
Let us know if you'll be attending!
Please take a moment to let you know you are coming by completing our Registration Form!
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