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Cedar Breaks National Monument
Star Parties 2008

Monthly Star Parties at Cedar Breaks

As darkness falls on Cedar Breaks National Monument, a different kind of light illuminates the night sky. That light, which comes from objects out in space transforms the night from a place of darkness into a place of wonder.

Cedar Breaks National Monument has some of the darkest night skies in the country. As Southwestern Utah grows and develops, “light pollution” in the form of stray artificial light is a growing problem which masks the beauty and intensity of a dark starlit sky. In the high elevation night skies of Cedar Breaks, the stars shine nearly as bright as they did in the time before the invention of the light bulb.

To celebrate and share the beauty of our dark night skies, Cedar Breaks is throwing a series of monthly “Star Parties." Each star party will be conducted by park staff and astronomy volunteers with a special evening program in our campground amphitheater, followed by star viewing through several large telescopes at Point Supreme. Visitors who own their own telescopes are invited to bring them along.

The first event will be the Astronomy Festival, which will be held on Saturday, June 14th, 2008, location to be announced. The remaining monthly "Star Parties" will commence on July 5th, July 19th, August 2nd, August 23rd, September 6th, and September 20th.

Visitors are urged to dress warmly for the cool night air at this high elevation, and come prepared to enjoy a late night of star gazing at Cedar Breaks! Cedar Breaks National Monument is located 23 miles east of Cedar City, via Highways 14 and 148. More information is available by contacting the Visitor Center 435-586-0787 ext. 0 or the Monument’s administrative office at 435-586-9451.

To learn more about the Star Parties at Cedar Breaks, Download our Star Parties News Release.

 

The Emory Peak summit  

Did You Know?
On most maps Emory Peak is listed as 7,825 feet in elevation. Satellite measuring recently raised the height of the mountain by seven feet to 7,832 feet (2,387 meters).

Last Updated: July 31, 2008 at 16:32 EST