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Archived Outdoors

Star gazing event near Maggie Valley

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is hosting a stargazing event Sept. 7 at one of Haywood County’s clearest views of the sky - Purchase Knob, located off U.S. 276 near Maggie Valley.

The Astronomy Club of Asheville will lead the exploration of the night sky at this high elevation site with a 260-degree unobstructed view of the sky. Visitors can expect to see the planets Neptune and Uranus; the wonderful starry glow of our Milky Way Galaxy stretching across Purchase Knob’s dark skies; the beautiful spiral disk of the Andromeda Galaxy; the numerous star clusters of late summer and early fall; as well as several binary star systems.

The event starts at 7:30 p.m. with an indoor orientation, which will be held rain or shine. The program is limited to 60 people. Reservations are required and can be made by calling the park directly at 828.926.6251.