Telescopes will be trained on the Sun by day and the night sky after dark when the Sunset Bay Astronomy Festival returns to the Southern Oregon Coast September 10 through 12.
The three-day festival at Sunset Bay and Shore Acres state parks will feature solar observation, astrophotography workshops, constellation tours and nightly star parties, along with programs examining exoplanets, celestial navigation, Earth’s oceans and the continuing scientific effort to understand worlds beyond the solar system.
Organized by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, the festival begins Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Sunset Bay Campground Interpretive Center with a close examination of the Sun. Specialized solar telescopes will allow visitors to safely observe sunspots and other visible features that ordinarily cannot be viewed directly.
The focus shifts toward photography from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Shore Acres, where a Night Sky Photography Workshop will introduce participants to techniques for capturing stars and other features of the evening sky. Cameras are encouraged but not required. Space is limited and advance registration is necessary.
Thursday evening brings celestial navigation into the program. NASA Ambassador Jennifer Godfrey will lead a 7:30 p.m. presentation at Shore Acres Gardens examining constellations and the methods people used to navigate in darkness long before GPS and modern electronics.
At 8 p.m., the telescopes turn toward deeper space for the festival’s first star party. Telescope operators will help visitors locate and observe objects in the night sky while identifying prominent constellations overhead.
Friday begins with another solar-viewing session at 2 p.m. before the festival broadens into planetary science. Earth: An Ocean Planet begins at 4 p.m. at the Shore Acres Observation Building, exploring Earth’s oceans and biological systems alongside scientific questions about environments capable of supporting life elsewhere.
A second astrophotography workshop follows from 5 to 6:30 p.m., with advance registration required. At 7:30 p.m., Imagining Other Worlds introduces visitors to exoplanets and the extraordinary variety of planets discovered beyond Earth’s solar system. Friday concludes with an 8 p.m. star party and guided constellation tour.
Saturday delivers some of the festival’s most distinctive programming. Solar observation begins at 2 p.m. at Shore Acres, followed at 4 p.m. by How to Talk to Aliens — Even if You’re Shy, an examination of humanity’s attempts to devise messages that could potentially be understood by an extraterrestrial civilization.
The final evening expands the view considerably. Explore the Universe begins at 7:30 p.m. in Shore Acres Gardens with a journey through planets, stars and galaxies and an explanation of how astronomers study objects separated from Earth by immense distances.
The festival concludes at 8 p.m. Saturday with its third and final star party, placing telescopes back in the hands of operators who will guide visitors through another evening of astronomical observation.
For travelers making a weekend of the festival, Sunset Bay, Shore Acres and nearby Cape Arago provide access to beaches, coastal trails and Pacific viewpoints. Camping is available at Sunset Bay State Park, subject to reservations and availability.
A $10 parking permit per vehicle is required within the Sunset Bay Management Unit, including the Sunset Bay and Shore Acres day-use areas. Visitors planning to attend the photography workshops should register in advance because participation is limited.
As with any outdoor astronomy event, clear skies will determine how much of the universe cooperates. Solar observations and nighttime telescope sessions are weather dependent, making coastal conditions an important consideration for anyone traveling to Coos County for the festival.
For three days in September, the program offers Oregonians something beyond the customary state park excursion: a chance to photograph the stars, study distant planets, examine the Sun through a telescope and spend an evening finding their way around the universe from the Southern Oregon Coast.