"30th Annual Nebraska Star Party: Unveiling Dark Skies and Puzzling Enigmas"
The Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area in Nebraska has become the state's first certified International Dark Sky Park, boasting some of the darkest skies on Earth. The 30th annual Nebraska Star Party attracted a record turnout of 382 registered stargazers, despite thunderstorms and haze from Canadian wildfires. While the park achieved Dark Sky Park status, there were whispers that bureaucracy prevented it from becoming a Dark Sky Sanctuary. The event highlighted the rarity of dark skies in the 21st century due to light pollution, with the Milky Way no longer visible to roughly one-third of the planet.