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8 Reasons To Get Starry-Eyed At The Dark Sky Festival in Fort Smith

8 Reasons To Get Starry-Eyed At The Dark Sky Festival
Kill the lights! And welcome to Wood Buffalo National Park, the world's largest Dark Sky Preserve. Here, far from the blinding glare of big-city lights, the nighttime heavens shine forth in all their glory – the moon, the planets, the Milky Way, and the stellar Northern Lights. You can enjoy this celestial tapestry anytime from mid-August to April, but the finest sky-gazing occurs during the Thebacha & Wood Buffalo Dark Sky Festival, held annually in late August. Here were a few of the star attractions from past years..

powerful telescopes
Check out those guns! A dark sky preserve is a designated area that restricts artificial light pollution. Since Wood Buffalo National Park's is the biggest in all the world, that means the views of the cosmos are that much clearer. There'll be plenty of magnum-grade telescopes at the Dark Sky Festival for star-gazers to peer through. Obviously, you're welcome to bring your own.

Guests who are out of this world
Literally. That's Roberta Bondar, Canada's first female astronaut, who shared her extraterrestrial experiences at the Dark Sky Festival a few years ago. Julie Payette, who served as Canada's Governor General, has come to the festival and she knows a thing or two about outer space: the astronaut has been in orbit twice, making more than 400 circuits around the Earth. The Dark Sky Festival always features interesting and engaging speakers: Bob McDonald, from CBC's Quirks and Quarks science program, and Opaskwayak Cree Nation educator Wilfred "The Star Guy" Buck were last year's guests.

Bannock on a stick!
Yum! It's a Northwest Territories staple.

weird science
Baking soda, vinegar – something's about to go kaplooey. For kids and adults alike, hands-on learning is a focus of the festival.

stupendous auroras
With big, wide-open – and most importantly, dark – skies, the Dark Sky Festival's location at Pine Lake in Wood Buffalo National Park has some of the best Auroral displays in the world. Rent a cabin at Pine Lake from Parks Canada to be in the middle of the action all weekend.

more auroras!
LOOK. AT. THAT.

and even more!
No, seriously, just look at it. When are you ever going to see a more stunning skyscape? And since it's August, it's not even cold outside, meaning you and your fellow festival-goers can kick back in your camp chair all night long, ogling the heavens. It's enough to make you feel both humbled and inspired. It's why the Dark Sky Festival will brighten your life.