On Saturday, 4 January 2025, another Astronomy Event was held at Oracle State Park, our local International Dark Sky Park. Late afternoon there were some thin clouds in the sky.

Mike Weasner, local amateur astronomer and dark sky advocate, gave a talk on Smartphone Astrophotography to a packed audience in the historic Kannally Ranch House living room.

As well as describing how to take photographs of the night sky and the Sun, Moon, planets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies using a smartphone's camera, Mike also discussed the importance of having a dark night sky for life on Planet Earth.

Mike's talk was followed by a Star Party with telescopes provided by members of the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association. 130 park visitors were thrilled by the night sky view from Oracle State Park and looking at the Moon, the planets Venus, Saturn, Mars, and Uranus, star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies through the telescopes. Many thanks to TAAA.

It was a beautiful night of observing the night sky outside the historic Kannally Ranch House!

As the temperature dropped, the crowd began thinning out as the scheduled time for ending the star approached. The last visitors left about 8:30 PM.

Photos by Mike Weasner

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