Moonlight, Music, and Meteors
Friday, April 19, 2024
Time: 7:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Location: The Den in the LeFleur's Bluff Complex
County: Hinds
For more information please contact Nicole Smith at 601-576-6000 or by email at nicole.smith@mmns.ms.gov
IMAGINE A NIGHT UNDER THE STARS WITH THE MISSISSIPPI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA!
Great news - the Den hasn't been impacted by flooding from the recent storms, so “Moonlight, Music, and Meteors” will be held at “The Den” in beautiful LeFleur’s Bluff State Park as planned.
We encourage you to bring lawn chairs and/or blankets. In case of weather, a ‘rain date’ will be announced (Rain dates will be April 20 or April 26, 2024).
“We are delighted to provide a creative program of music to enrich an evening of star-gazing. We look forward to exploring the cross-section of MSO and the Museum’s missions,” says MSO Maestro Crafton Beck.
Also visit with area physicists, astronomers, and NASA Solar System Ambassadors during the Lyrid meteor shower!
FOOD:
Come hungry to the event! Sweet Chix food truck and Pig and Pint will be on-site (not included with admission) https://www.instagram.com/sweetchixllc/ and https://www.facebook.com/thepigandpint/.
WELCOME: Lawn chairs, blankets, and outside food.
NOT WELCOME: Glass, outside alcohol, and tents.
ACTIVITIES:
- Talk with NASA Solar System Ambassador Bob Swanson about astronomy science!
- Astrophysicist Dr. Angelle Tanner will interpret images and mind-bending science from the James Webb Space Telescope, using data sonification (interpreting images with sound). Interpret constellations with Dr. Tanner's laser pointer, too!
- Observe the moon through telescopes with Jean-Francois (Jeff) Gout, Assistant Professor of Biology at Mississippi State University. Jeff has a passion for astronomy and will demonstrate the basics of astrophotography through a telescope, too!
- Ever wanted to see rocks that are commonly found on the moon and Mars? See specimens that help us understand Mars and it’s past - with MS State University Geology Student Sydney Stanard.
- Check out telescopes with built-in navigation systems with Best Buy staff from the Florence and Madison stores!
ASTRONOMY & ARTS EXHIBITORS
- Aaron Holbrook, Biologist & Amateur Astronomer: Telescope
- Best Buy: Telescopes
- Bob Swanson, NASA Solar System Ambassador
- Build-a-Comet: Dr. Adrine Williams from JSU’s Project Pluto
- Dr. Angelle Tanner, Astronomer: Braille and Data Sonification of James Webb Space Telescope Images
- Dr. Carl Dewitt, physicist: Night Sky Apps
- Dr. Nicholas MacDonald: Black Holes & the Event Horizon Telescope Research. Learn about Dr. MacDonald’s work with extragalactic jets and with the Event Horizon Telescope, which is an international collaboration capturing images of black holes using a virtual Earth-sized telescope.
- Jean-Francois Gout: Astrophotography Basics
- Light Pollution and Wildlife with MS Museum of Natural Science
- McClendon Library, Hinds Community College: Meteor Impact Activity
- Millsaps College Astronomy: Telescopes
- MS Agricultural & Forestry Museum
- MS Arts Commission
- MS Youth Symphony Orchestra
- Sydney Stanard: Geology of the Moon
COST:
- Advance tickets are $15 until Noon on April 18, 2024
- $20 at the door
PARTNERS
We are grateful for our partners and their support in helping us offer our community a unique evening under the stars that’s fun for the whole family!
"Moonlight, Music, and Meteors" is a collaborative event between the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP), MDWFP’s Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (MMNS), the MMNS Foundation, and the MSO.
This project is supported in part by funding from the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
COMING TO MOONLIGHT? HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
PARKING:
- Wildlife officers will be on-site directing traffic.
- Guests will be directed to park in the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science lot, the LeFleur's Bluff Complex lot, the MS Children’s Museum’s lot, and then along Museum Blvd., in that order.
- If you have a special parking need, let the officer know and they will assist with getting you in the best place.
7 p.m. Gates Open
- Bring your blankets or lawn chairs to enjoy the music and stargaze at The Den in beautiful LeFleur's Bluff State Park. No tents or glass, please.
- Will-Call and At-the-Gate Admissions Open
7:30 p.m. Symphony, Exhibitors, and Playground
- MS Symphony Orchestra Performance Begins!
- Astronomy exhibitors will be ready to visit and will be available for questions/interactions/demonstrations throughout the event.
- LeFleur's Bluff Playground opens to Moonlight attendees.
