The beauty of darkness, the costs of light pollution, and what we can do to protect the night. A starry night is one of nature’s most magical wonders. Yet in our artificially lit world, most of us no longer experience true darkness. In this talk based on his critically acclaimed book “The End of Night,” Paul Bogard seeks to restore our awareness of the spectacularly primal, wildly dark night sky and how it has influenced the human experience across everything from science to art. Using a blend of personal narrative, natural history, science, and astronomy, Bogard shares the importance of darkness—what we’ve lost, what we still have, and what we might regain—and the simple ways we can reduce the brightness of our nights tonight. Registration recommended to save a seat. Special thanks to Boise State University for bringing Paul to Idaho as part of their Sawtooth Writing Retreat Sept. 14-17 at the Central Idaho 4-H Camp. Paul Bogard is author of “The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light,” which was shortlisted for the PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. He is also the author of “The Ground Beneath Us: From the Oldest …

It was true when Carl Sagan said, “we are made of star-stuff,” but we contain far more—a universe, in fact! Come spend the evening with visiting Astronomer-in-Residence Dr. Lindsay DeMarchi. Relax as we unwind into dazzling mixtures of nebulae and galaxies, with commentary from history’s great poets and writers alike. We will reminisce with stars about the end of their lives, and how their cosmic legacy has been handed down to us on our humble Earth. Presented in partnership with the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve Astronomer-in-Residence Program. Dr. DeMarchi is a 2023 Astronomer in Residence with the CIDSP, supported by Boise State University with support from NASA. Registration is recommended to save a seat. This program will also be livestreamed and available to watch later. Dr. Lindsay DeMarchi is an interdisciplinary space environmentalist and stellar mortician, proudly engaging the public on all matters dark and wondrous. She is the Astronomer-in-Residence at the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve and author of numerous scientific articles to bring awareness to outer-space sustainability and light pollution. She is most passionate about empowering the cultural and personal connections each individual has to the night sky and their role in environmental stewardship.