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Skywatch 16: Get 'Under the Stars' in Schuylkill County

Newswatch 16's John Hickey shows us what makes this star party unique in this week's Skywatch 16.

SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, Pa. — There's a party in one Schuylkill County park Friday night, and you can leave your dancing shoes at home. 

"We just want to share what NASA is doing and basically get people excited about all the new things that we're probably going to discover and find with these new missions coming up," Lisa Ditty is the executive director of the Lykens Valley Children's Museum in Dauphin County.

The museum is holding an event called "Under the Stars" in Locust State Park in Schuylkill County on Friday, June 10.

"People are always excited about space, and it's a way to bring the younger children or even children in middle school to see STEM in action."

Under the Stars features STEM and art stations focused on space and the James Webb Telescope.

"They've got like where you can pack the telescope. We have a device that looks like the rocket that they launched the James Webb with. They actually have to pack it inside."

The evening kicks off with a 50th-anniversary celebration of Locust State Park at 4 p.m. with food trucks, touch a truck, and music.

The Under the Stars program begins at 7 p.m. with a presentation about the James Webb Telescope by Don Miller at 8 p.m.

"I have a seven-year-old and a five-year-old, and both times we've had the guest speaker, I was shocked at how well they hold their attention. My son still talks about learning about black holes. We're going to learn about that, and he's 7."

The evening ends, weather permitting, with stargazing with the Berks County Amateur Astronomical Society.

"It brings that childhood love that you might have had for the adults to actually be able to see. These telescopes that they bring aren't these little telescopes. They actually get to see pretty deep into space," Ditty added.

The event is free and open to the public. Get more information here.

Posted by Friends of Tuscarora & Locust Lake State Parks on Sunday, May 29, 2022

See past Skywatch 16 segments on YouTube:

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