You’re invited to a Star Party on Feb. 5 – but don’t expect a red carpet to be rolled out with beautiful gowns sweeping across it. 

Darlene Skehill, public outreach education officer for Parks Canada, said there is a bit of confusion surrounding the upcoming Star Party, and what exactly is going on.

“A few people have said, ‘Oh, you’re bringing in celebrities?’” Skehill said. 

The stars that are being celebrated will be those in the sky, rain or shine. The event is being held at the Jasper Activity Centre to start off, for beginner star gazers to get up close with real-life astronomers from the Royal Astronomical Society in Edmonton. 

There will be 12 altogether with telescopes of various strengths set up. They will be leading a number of talks and presentations throughout the evening. 

Each astronomer is tailoring their discussions to David Thompson, who used the stars at night to do his map writing, called ‘celestial navigation’. The Star Party is one of a handful of events Parks is hosting to celebrate the David Thompson bi-centennial. 

“Each event we’re doing is incorporating the things he’s famous for,” Skehill said.

The Star Party is for children ages five and up, and there will be fun activities for kids to try out including building your own telescope and other art projects. A state-of-the-art inflatable planetarium will be set up as well. Astronomers will be on hand to instruct junior star gazers on how to use a telescope.

Skehill said the event is for both overwhelmed new astronomers who don’t know where to start, and people hoping to get into astronomy. People with more experience will find the event helpful, as they will have a chance to talk with professionals, and possibly bump up their skills a level or two. 

After the events at the activity centre, attendees will have a chance to be bused out of town to a viewing area. The buses are being used to prevent light pollution from too many vehicles. There, three astronomers will lead groups on a constellation walk, pointing out famous star patterns, and discussing the night sky. 

“This is a totally new event to Jasper,” said Skehill. This year the event is tailored to David Thompson, but Skehill hopes they can keep it going as an annual event.

“This is a launch, an inaugural event for the public to reconnect with the stars over majestic mountain panoramas,” she said. 

The event is scheduled to go ahead rain or shine. If there are too many clouds in the sky to go for the constellation walk, Skehill said there will be many events that can satisfy guests at the activity centre. 

Skehill said Jasper is the perfect place to view stars, because the tiny townsite has little light pollution, and it’s easy to get out of town and see a crisp, clear sky on a good night. 

“We have our little hub in the townsite, but as soon as you leave our townsite you’re in total darkness,” she said. 

Guests are being asked to bring a flashlight that can be fitted with a red cloth that will be provided at the event. Using red light will allow star gazers to see the night sky without any interruption from white lights. 

The Star Party will start at 5 p.m. at the Jasper Activity Centre.