Save The Night Star Party – Save Red Rock Canyon

On a clear, moonless night in Red Rock Canyon, I had the honor of serving as the invited speaker for Save the Night hosted by Save Red Rock organization and the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, a public stargazing event focused on protecting dark skies and nocturnal ecosystems. The evening brought together scientists, conservationists, and the local community under the stars for a night of learning and exploration.

My presentation introduced gravitational-wave astronomy to a broad audience—explaining how spacetime ripples from merging black holes and neutron stars are detected here on Earth. I shared my current research on early-warning signals from binary neutron star mergers that enable telescopes to observe these events in real time. While light pollution doesn’t interfere with gravitational-wave detectors themselves, it does impact our ability to follow up these signals with telescopes, making dark sky preservation essential for the full exploration of multi-messenger astrophysics.

Thanks to the Las Vegas Astronomical Society, attendees explored constellations and planets through dozens of telescopes. With beautiful weather and standing-room-only crowds during my talks, it was a powerful reminder of how deeply people care about both the night sky and scientific discovery.

I’m incredibly grateful to Save Red Rock, the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, and the many volunteers and organizations who made this event possible.

If you love Red Rock as much as I do, now’s the moment to help preserve its rural character.
This petition gathers community voices to urge decision‑makers to Keep Red Rock Rural—we need your signature.

To learn more visit: SaveRedRock.com.