“PARI is joining with NASA and major observatories around the world to participate in this event,” said PARI Education Director Christi Whitworth. “The goal is to engage the local public and amateur astronomer communities in a special occasion to raise awareness of NASA’s involvement in lunar research and exploration. PARI astronomers and volunteers will be available to help area residents see the Earth’s nearest neighbor in detail most people have never seen. The event is free and does not require prior registration, so we hope everyone will come out and enjoy the fun.” PARI’s celebration of Observe the Moon Night is in conjunction with the North Carolina Science Festival, September 11-26. More details are available at www.observethemoonnight.org and www.ncsciencefestival.org. About PARI The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) is a not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) foundation established in 1998. Located in the Pisgah Forest 30 miles southwest of Asheville, NC, the PARI campus is a dark sky location for astronomy and was selected in 1962 by NASA as the site for one of the first U.S. satellite tracking facilities. Today, the 200 acre campus houses radio and optical telescopes, earth science instruments, 30 buildings, a fulltime staff and all the infrastructure necessary to support STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education and research. PARI offers educational programs at all levels, from K-12 through post-graduate research. The institute is a member of the NC Grassroots Science Museums Collaborative, a partner in NC OPT-ED and is affiliated with the 16-campus University of North Carolina system through PARSEC, a UNC Center hosted at PARI. For more information about PARI and its programs, visit www.pari.edu.