WILDFLOWER DISCOVERY DAYS
at Sky’s The Limit
Observatory and Nature Center
Starting promptly at 9:00 am
Tuesday, March 26
What an amazing wildflower bloom we are beginning to see in 29 Palms! Winter annuals at the observatory have been growing since the October rain that dumped at least 1½ inches over Joshua Tree National Park and the Morongo Basin.
Now they are beginning to bloom.
Come join Darrell Shade, our botanist, to discover all the wildflowers, cacti and
shrubs growing and blooming at the Nature Center.
This is an opportunity to learn about desert native plants.
Darrell will tell you all you want to know about our flora
and share their common and Latin names.
It can be fun to identify all the wildflowers that begin blooming earliest, and then watch as the others come along.
Right now, brown-eyed evening primrose, pincushion, coreopsis, dandelion and poppies are prominent. Wallace’s wooly daises, woody bottle washers, forget-me-nots, whispering bells, lacy phacelia and chicory are some of the others. Canterbury bells, desert star, purple mat and silky dalea are other beauties.
This program is free and open to the public.
Donations to support Sky's The Limit educational programs are very much appreciated!
Basic Astronomy Class:
Star Parties 101
Friday, March 29th
with Dean Arvidson, Professor of Astronomy and Physics
at Los Angeles City College
Patriotic Hall – 5882 Luckie Avenue, Twentynine Palms
The class will begin at 7:15 with a one-hour overview of basic astronomy topics, including telescopes and their use, in a classroom setting. The group will then make the short trip up Utah Trail to Sky's The Limit to experience the campus under the stars and get some "hands-on" experience with a variety of telescopes. This outdoor session is open ended; participants may leave when they need to, and Dean will be happy to continue discussing telescopes or other astronomy topics and looking at the night sky as long as people are interested and not too cold!
Participants will receive a packet of information including a copy of the notes used during the classroom session, a star chart for each month of the year, a Moon map, and a Celestron brochure entitled, "How To Buy Your First Telescope."
Completing this course will make you eligible to become a volunteer docent who will be trained to use STL telescopes during our Star Parties.
The $15 class fee includes a chance to win a Celestron Firstscope, a small table-top scope, generously donated by the manufacturer.
Participants should bring water and a pen or pencil to make notes. Dress for unpredictable desert weather. In the event of rain or strong winds, the campus visit may need to be re-scheduled at a time convenient for everyone.
For more information, call (760) 490-9561
or email: contact@skysthelimit29.org
Minimum age is 12 years.
LAST DAY TO REGISTER IS MARCH 22
James Price – Digital Photo: Solstice Moon – December 2018
JANUARY 2019
SKY'S THE LIMIT'S FULL MOON CULTURAL SERIES
WAS LAUNCHED WITH
Salt Songs and Sky Stories
of the Nuwuvi (Southern Paiute) People
Matt Leivas, Director of the Chemehuevi Cultural Center
5:00 pm
Saturday, January 19
at Sky's The Limit Observatory & Nature Center
9697 Utah Trail, Twentynine Palms, CA
This was the first in a series of Cultural Programs
to be held under the full desert moon
Sky’s The Limit Observatory and Nature Center initiated the Full Moon Cultural Series with Salt Songs & Sky Stories of the Nuwuvi (Southern Paiute) People, led by Matt Leivas, Director of the Chemehuevi Cultural Center on Saturday, January 19 .
“The Salt Songs are an ancient song complex unique to Southern Paiute people of California, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada. The songs and ceremonies associated with them are highly significant cultural links, uniting contemporary people with their time of origin. They are at once healing and power songs of great importance today.”
– Preface to Where Puha Sits; Salt Songs, Power, and the Oasis of Mara
by Clifford E. Trafzer and Matthew (Matt) Hanks Leivas.
Matt Leivas is one of the leading Salt Song Singers among the Southern Paiute people. He has been a member of the Tribal Council for the Chemehuevi Tribe and is currently the Director of the Chemehuevi Cultural Center. Matt and his sisters will share Salt Songs to honor the landscape and sky of 29 Palms.
An anonymous gift makes possible these programs, exploring how diverse cultures experience the significance of the desert, earth, and sky. The gatherings will take place on Saturdays under the full desert moon.
A suggested donation of $10/car will go toward maintaining the series, recognizing the speakers, and supporting the worthy nonprofits they represent.
STL's Saturday night Star Parties when the moon is NOT full are still free and open to the public.
~
JANUARY 2019
SKY'S THE LIMIT'S FULL MOON CULTURAL SERIES
WAS LAUNCHED WITH
Salt Songs and Sky Stories
of the Nuwuvi (Southern Paiute) People
Matt Leivas, Director of the Chemehuevi Cultural Center
5:00 pm
Saturday, January 19
at Sky's The Limit Observatory & Nature Center
9697 Utah Trail, Twentynine Palms, CA
This was the first in a series of Cultural Programs
to be held under the full desert moon
Sky’s The Limit Observatory and Nature Center initiated the Full Moon Cultural Series with Salt Songs & Sky Stories of the Nuwuvi (Southern Paiute) People, led by Matt Leivas, Director of the Chemehuevi Cultural Center on Saturday, January 19 .
“The Salt Songs are an ancient song complex unique to Southern Paiute people of California, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada. The songs and ceremonies associated with them are highly significant cultural links, uniting contemporary people with their time of origin. They are at once healing and power songs of great importance today.”
– Preface to Where Puha Sits; Salt Songs, Power, and the Oasis of Mara
by Clifford E. Trafzer and Matthew (Matt) Hanks Leivas.
Matt Leivas is one of the leading Salt Song Singers among the Southern Paiute people. He has been a member of the Tribal Council for the Chemehuevi Tribe and is currently the Director of the Chemehuevi Cultural Center. Matt and his sisters will share Salt Songs to honor the landscape and sky of 29 Palms.
An anonymous gift makes possible these programs, exploring how diverse cultures experience the significance of the desert, earth, and sky. The gatherings will take place on Saturdays under the full desert moon.
A suggested donation of $10/car will go toward maintaining the series, recognizing the speakers, and supporting the worthy nonprofits they represent.
STL's Saturday night Star Parties when the moon is NOT full are still free and open to the public.
~
Observatory and Nature Center
P. O. Box 1 Twentynine Palms, California 92277 |
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