J.D. Maddy, President of The Astronomers of Verde Valley, hosted a star gazing event at the Hilton Sedona Resort on Friday evening, April 28, at the request of Jay Kriske, Hilton’s General Manager. The Keep Sedona Beautiful Dark-Sky Committee and the Big Park/Village of Oak Creek Dark-Sky Committee participated in this event.
Many of the attendees had never looked through a telescope and most people live in large cities with light pollution. Everyone commented on the darkness of the night sky and the beauty of the stars.
Early views of the Moon and several bright stars kept the viewers busy as the sky darkened. The partly cloudy sky started to clear up just after dark. The wind kept it cool but helped clear the sky. Jupiter was probably the favorite object of most. Four of Jupiter’s moons were easily visible.
The Keep Sedona Beautiful Dark-Sky brochures and other dark-sky material were available for attendees.