National Astronomy Day is on Saturday. The holiday marks a day that professional and amateur astronomers gather to enjoy the night sky together. The Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City is hosting an event in celebration of Astronomy Day, including a book signing by Karl Beckstrand, author of Bright Star, Night Star: An Astronomy Story.
“It’s kind of a primer for kids who are getting their first exposure to astronomy and the night sky,” Beckstrand said.
The author said he wants to share his enthusiasm for stars with a younger generation, in what is his 10th book.
“I hope they get an appreciation for how insignificant we are in the universe, but how special we are. We’re this planet with life on it and we have all these creations around us that are so much bigger than our planet and our solar system," Beckstrand said.
He said he hopes the book will inspire children to be future astronomers or explorers.
Astronomy day started in 1973.