Oracle Night Sky Charm
International Dark Sky Week 2025 Celebration at the Park.
Welcome to the 5th edition of “Oracle Night Sky Charm”. These monthly articles are intended to help you enjoy Oracle’s Night Sky. You will also learn why it is important to protect our Night Sky Heritage.
Celebrations at the Park
Oracle State Park had a Star Party on Saturday, 26 April. This was the annual celebration of Oracle State Park becoming the first Arizona State Park to be designated as an “International Dark Sky Park” in 2014 and a celebration of “International Dark Sky Week 2025” (21-28 April). The photo at the top of this page shows the four individuals who spoke at the event (from left to right): President of the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association Mae Smith, Pinal County Supervisor Jeff McClure, Park Volunteer and Dark Sky Advocate Mike Weasner, and Park Ranger Michael Bain. You can read the full report of the event here. The next Star Party at the Park is scheduled for Saturday, 14 June. Details To Be Announced.
Protecting Oracle’s Night Sky Charm
International Dark Sky Week 2025 may be over, but the mission of protecting the Night Sky is not. To learn more about why it is so important that humans protect Arizona’s Oldest Natural Resource, the Night Sky, for all life on this planet, see last month’s Friends of Oracle State Park journal entry.
Visible Planets
The bright planet Jupiter is still visible in the western sky after the Sun sets. Using a small telescope you can view up to four of the Jovian Moons that Galileo discovered with his small telescope over 400 years ago. And like Galileo, if you watch the moons over a period of hours and certainly nights, you will see the moons change position as they revolve around Jupiter. His discovery of the moons definitely shook up the scientific and religious communities. Red planet Mars is visible higher in the sky. Bright Venus and fainter Saturn are now visible in the eastern sky about an hour before sunrise.
The Milky Way
Visitors to Oracle State Park frequently ask if they can see the Milky Way from the Park. The answer is “definitely yes” thanks to Oracle’s dark night sky, but only at certain times of the year and time of night. The bright “Summer Milky Way”, which is the band of stars you see as you look towards the center of our Galaxy, rises in the southeastern sky about 10 PM as the month of May comes to an end. It rises four minutes earlier each night and becomes well-positioned for seeing it in the early evening later this summer.
If there is something you would like discussed in “Oracle Night Sky Charm”, email Mike Weasner at mweasner@mac.com. Mike has been a volunteer at Oracle State Park since 2014 and is a past Vice President and past President of Friends of Oracle State Park.