By Peter Covino

Entertainment Editor

We need one of those Vincent Van Gogh kind of starry nights.

Not even partly cloudy is a good thing for the Dark Sky Festival, being held tonight (Saturday) at Harmony Town Square.

This is the seventh year for the popular event which was originally organized to educate the public on light pollution and what it does to celestial gazing.

But the Dark Sky Festival is now something much bigger than that. There are workshops, presentations, food vendors, live music and several telescopes to look at the nearby planets and galaxies.

One of the evening highlights includes Terry Oswalt and Russell Romanella who will attempt to break the world record for the Guiness world record for the largest astronomy class. The lesson will begin with Oswalt from he Florida Institute of Technology speaking about the cosmos. Then, Romanella, the director of the Space Shuttle and Space Station Operations for Kennedy Space Center, will talk about space exploration and space craft.

Continuing the space talk will be Beverly Rother, a Virgin Galactic accredited Space Agent, who will talks about commercial space tourism aboard Virgin Galactic, the new craft designed to put space tourists in space within the next two years.

Returning again this year the Star Lab Planetarium. This tour of the night sky inside the StarLab had a line at its entrance all night last year. Show times are scheduled throughout the night beginning at 6:15 p.m.

Telescopes will be set up throughout the area as well for star and planet viewing beginning at 8 p.m. Arrive early and you can use solar scopes to view the sun’s

surface.

Not all of the activities take place in the sky or stage. Members of the 501st Legion, a global Star Wars costuming organization whose members create movie-accurate costumes will also be on hand. The Legion has over 4,000 members and is George Lucas’ approved Imperial costuming organization.

There also will be music

by Dance Central of St. Cloud; Harmony Community School Choir and Band, Poinciana High School Middle Eastern Dance Troupe, the Silver Clouds Orchestra and Kaboom!, a high-energy

science theatrical performance by the Orlando Science Center.

Other event highlights include some creatures of the night from Gatorland and more native animals from Forever Florida.

Food and beverages will be available for purchase and Radio Disney will host a children's play zone.

Admission to the Dark Sky Festival is free. For more information and directions go to www.darkskyfestival.com.