It wasn’t the planned gathering, but gather they did.

Fountain Hills’ third annual Dark Sky Festival was held virtually on March 28, the day the real event was to happen. Because of coronavirus restrictions, organizers came up with a way to hold the event via the internet.

Fountain Hills Dark Sky Association Vice President Vicky Derksen said after the organization decided not to hold the actual festival, ideas were bandied about to create the virtual activity.

While the “crowd” wasn’t even close to the size organizers planned for the March 28 “real” event, analytics show there were 293 unique viewers for the virtual dark sky festival. The festival will be available on the association’s website, fhdarksky.com, through the end of April.

The virtual festival included a variety of sessions. There is a segment about Fountain Hills Dark Skies. The scheduled keynote speaker, Dr. Mario Motta, agreed to record his presentation, which is available on the website.

Board member Ted Blank discussed the Apollo Project: How Mankind Got to the Moon. He also offered a presentation about the telescope used by resident, the late Charles Juels, to discover more than 400 asteroids from his backyard in Fountain Hills.

Amy Burnett, information and program manager at Arizona Game and Fish Department, talked about the impact light pollution has on local wildlife.

The final segment announces the winners of the Student Art Contest, and the Astrophotography Contest. Association President Scott Adams shares tips for those who are interested in getting started in astrophotography.

Fountain Hills Dark Sky Association officers and board members include President Scott Adams, Vice President Vicky Derksen, Secretary Kim Robertson, Treasurer Jeff Esposito and members Joe Bill, Nancy Bill, Ted Blank, Debbie Clason, Clayton Corey, Mark Derksen, Craig Gimbel, Don Harvel, Lisa Miller and Tony Pistilli.