While the Dark Sky Festival on Saturday, April 21, will have many popular educational and fun activities for kids and adults alike, the four presentations scheduled are expected to fill the Community Center ballroom.

Leading off at 4 p.m. is a presentation by Dr. Pierre Deviche entitled, “The Impact on Wildlife of Artificial Light at Night: Light Has a Dark Side.”

His presentation provides an overview of recent scientific research related to the diversity of artificial light-at-night effects in a variety of wild organisms ranging from insects to mammals. Dr. Deviche is a Professor of Environmental Physiology at Arizona State University, chairs multiple ASU committees and conducts manuscript and grant reviews for journals and agencies based in the U.S. and abroad.

Kenneth Zoll takes the podium at 5 p.m. for his presentation, “From Sun Rise to Meteor Falls: Cultural Astronomy of the Prehistoric Southwest.”

Zoll is an expert in the field of archaeoastronomy, which is the study of how early cultures used astronomical techniques to establish the seasons or the cycle of the year. Many examples of this are found along the Verde River. Zoll is currently the executive director of the Verde Valley Archaeology Center and Museum and is a certified instructor in cultural astronomy with the Arizona Archaeological Society. He has authored several books, including “Sinagua Sunwatcher,” “Understanding the Rock Art of Sedona and the Verde Valley,” and “Heart of the Sky: Ancient Astronomy Practices in Central Arizona.”

As most know, Pluto has recently been demoted from planet to Kuiper Belt object. At 6 p.m., Dr. Jeffrey Hall, Director of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, will present “A Planet, By Any Other Name: The Recent History of Pluto.”

The “demotion” of Pluto, combined with the spectacular 2015 flyby of NASA’s New Horizons mission, has ignited intense public interest in this small and distant world. Besides sharing fantastic images of this remote, Kuiper Belt object that was discovered in 1930 at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Dr. Hall will share what has been learned about Pluto from the New Horizons spacecraft.

After awards are presented to the photo and student art contest winners at 7 p.m., Harun Mehmedinovic and Gavin Heffernan will take the stage at 7:15 p.m. Both are graduates of the American Film Institute and will be presenting “A Magical Night Sky Masterpiece: The 150,000 Mile Journey That Created a Stunning, Award-Winning Visual Experience.”

Organizers say there might not be enough superlatives to describe the stunning visuals that they captured for the SKYGLOW project. These award-winning astrophotography images and time-lapse videos support their discussion and stories about North America’s remaining magnificent night skies. Together, their photographs and videos have been featured in National Geographic, Discovery Science, BBC Earth, the National Park Service’s “100 Years” Centennial Video,” and even at Rolling Stones concerts.

More information about all festival events can be found at fhdarksky.com.