The Sunset Bay Astronomy Festival is now just days away, with three days of astronomy programs, solar viewing, night-sky photography and public telescope sessions scheduled to begin Thursday along the Southern Oregon Coast.
The Sept. 10–12 festival will take place at Sunset Bay and Shore Acres state parks southwest of Coos Bay, bringing a full schedule of daytime and nighttime activities to the Sunset Bay Management Unit. The event continues through Saturday evening, with public star parties scheduled at Shore Acres each night.
Thursday’s activities begin at 2 p.m. at the Sunset Bay Campground Interpretive Center, where specialized solar-viewing equipment will be used for a program examining the Sun and visible solar features. The festival moves to Shore Acres later in the afternoon for a night-sky photography workshop from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
NASA Ambassador Jennifer Godfrey is scheduled to lead Thursday evening’s astronomy presentation beginning at 7:30 p.m. The program will focus on constellations and the historical use of the night sky for navigation. Telescope viewing follows at 8 p.m. in the Shore Acres Gardens, weather permitting.
Friday’s schedule begins with another solar-viewing program at 2 p.m. An Earth and planetary science program follows at 4 p.m. at the Shore Acres Observation Building, examining Earth’s oceans and the environmental conditions associated with life while extending the discussion to planets beyond the solar system.
A second night-sky photography workshop is scheduled from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Friday. The evening astronomy program begins at 7:30 p.m. with a presentation on exoplanets and the conditions scientists examine when studying the possibility of habitable worlds beyond Earth. Friday concludes with telescope viewing at Shore Acres beginning at 8 p.m.
The festival enters its final day Saturday with solar observation beginning at 2 p.m. at the Shore Acres Observation Building. Afternoon programming continues at 4 p.m. with an astronomy presentation examining scientific questions surrounding communication with possible life beyond Earth.
An evening program exploring the universe begins at 7:30 p.m., followed at 8 p.m. by the festival’s final public star party. Telescopes will be provided and operated by volunteers, allowing visitors to participate without bringing astronomical equipment of their own.
The photography workshops scheduled Thursday and Friday have limited capacity and require advance registration. Participants may bring their own cameras, although a camera is not required to attend the instructional program.
Families may attend festival activities, with children age 12 and younger required to be accompanied by an adult during specified programs. Most activities are structured for public participation rather than experienced astronomers, allowing visitors to take part regardless of their previous familiarity with astronomy.
Visitors traveling to the parks should also account for parking requirements currently in effect within the Sunset Bay Management Unit. A $10 parking permit is required per vehicle at Sunset Bay, Shore Acres and other designated parking locations within the management area.
Weather will remain an important factor throughout the three-day schedule. Telescope sessions and other outdoor programs are dependent on conditions, and coastal cloud cover, fog or rain could affect nighttime viewing. Visitors planning to attend evening programs should be prepared for cooler temperatures after sunset along the coast.
Sunset Bay and Shore Acres are located southwest of Coos Bay near Charleston, making the festival accessible to communities throughout Coos County as well as visitors traveling from Douglas, Curry, Jackson and Josephine counties. The neighboring state parks are connected within a larger coastal recreation corridor that also includes Cape Arago State Park and portions of the Oregon Coast Trail.
With the opening program set for Thursday afternoon, preparations are entering their final days before telescopes, cameras and astronomy programs return to the South Coast. Activities continue through Saturday night, giving residents and visitors three days to participate in one of September’s larger public educational and outdoor events in the Coos Bay area.