The “Lights Out Chattanooga” Event is presented by the Scenic City Starlight Project, which is an initial collaboration between the Barnard Astronomical Society (BAS) and UTC Clarence T. Jones Observatory (CTJO) to promote darker skies within the Chattanooga community. Additional details will be provided as they become available. However, see below for some basic information about the event.

This event is a public star gazing gathering at Greenway Farms to provide an opportunity for Chattanoogans to experience the benefit of less light pollution. At a predefined time after the sun has set and nighttime begins, the park and hopefully surrounding neighborhoods will turn off all unnecessary exterior lighting so the public can witness the immediate impact of seeing the night sky and further connecting us with nature.

Once the lights have gone out, the event will transition into a star party! Volunteers with the BAS and CTJO will have a variety of different types of telescopes set up for the public to view celestial objects in the night sky.

The BAS, CTJO, and other local sponsors/supporters such as the local Audubon Society will also have hands-on demonstrations and information about how everyday citizens can take small, positive actions towards darker skies by using responsible lighting.

For more information on supporting dark skies and our Lights Out Chattanooga event, please visit the BAS website (https://www.barnardastronomy.org/protecting-dark-skies) and the National Park City Seeds page dedicated to this event (https://www.npcseeds.org/seeds/169e6bdf-1753-4c8c-9e4a-3c90ee7e9d35).