These summer star parties offer the best Milky Way views of the year
As our galaxy enters its “core season,” national parks, state parks, and more are bringing out the big telescopes to open your eyes to the night sky’s wonders.
Summer’s in full swing, and you’re invited to a party. A star party, that is. All across North America, both astronomy experts and club volunteers set up their telescopes, aim them at other galaxies, nebula, and planets, and invite you to take a look. Using a laser, they might lead you in constellation tours. Most parties are hosted in locations with special designation by DarkSky International, a nonprofit which advocates protecting our night skies as a natural resource that’s essential to human and ecological health.
“We have this inherent need to wander and explore, and one of the last places to do that is space and the cosmos,” says Kat Troche, who operates NASA's Night Sky Network, a program of over 400 astronomy clubs across the United States. “Having access to a telescope gives us an opportunity to connect with people around us, sharing in that sense of wonder because we're all looking up, and we're all amazed at the same thing."
Troche is also a NASA solar system ambassador and president of the Amateur Astronomers Association. Her love for night skies was first inspired by a star party in NYC’s Central Park. The Night Sky Network offers local astronomy clubs themed toolkits to “train the amateur astronomers good science because the best people to talk to the communities are the people that live in them,” she says.
To find the closest astronomy club and their events, enter your address on the Night Sky Network site. Many last for multiple days and offer guest speakers, educational opportunities, and a welcome escape from our screens. “It's sort of like going to a concert,” Troche explains. “Everybody's there to see the band play—everyone's excited. It's the same vibe.”
For stargazers, June begins the Milky Way’s “core season,” according to NASA, when you’re looking at “the bright core of our home galaxy, seen edge-on, from our position within the galaxy’s disk.” It’s also an excellent time to photograph it, and some sites offer astrophotography classes. The only catch is that you may have to stay up late. In locations like Montana and Nebraska, the summer sky doesn’t get dark enough for celestial viewing until 11 p.m. Some locations offer daytime programming, along with early evening events.
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Star parties are “an opportunity to get away from a screen and connect with nature, to make memories with people, your family, your friends, your community under this night sky we all share,” says Amy Sayle, a science education specialist at Moorhead Planetarium and Science Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Most parties are scheduled during a new moon phase so there’s minimal lunar light.
To take full advantage of a star party, “find space to sit and look up and be mindful about what's above you,” advises Rader Lane, the dark skies program coordinator at Grand Canyon National Park. Most parties have strict rules about white light and screens that can impair night vision; check the party’s guidelines before you go. Be sure to dress warmly, experts advise, along with bringing binoculars (excellent for dark sky viewing) and chairs. Some remote locations that offer camping nearby can provide meal plans too.
June 6–13, Grand Canyon Star Party, Arizona
In its 36th year, this Grand Canyon National Park event continues to grow in popularity with about 10,000 people attending last year and 160 volunteer astronomers, mainly from the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association.
Located in the dry desert Southwest, the park averages 300 nights a year of clear skies and offers “a sharpness and clarity of starlight that's really unparalleled throughout most of the world,” says Lane, a ranger in the division of interpretation and education resources. The park offers guest speakers, including David Eicher, former editor-in-chief of Astronomy Magazine and Autumn Gillard, who will share the Paiute lens on astronomy. During daylight hours, look for solar telescopes to safely observe the sun, sunspots, and solar flares.
June 10–14, Rocky Mountain Star Stare, Colorado
Marvel at the sky with members of the Colorado Springs Astronomical Society in Starry Meadows, a 35-acre area at 7,600 feet. Tents, campers, trailers, and RVs are welcome, and lodging is available in nearby towns. Some food trucks and vendors will be there, as well.
June 11- 13, Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival, Utah
Join astronomers from the Salt Lake Astronomy Society, University of Utah, and other volunteers to gaze upward and learn. “Be open to asking questions,” says Sayle, who volunteers there. “Amateur astronomers love answering questions, and we want you to look through our telescopes. We want you to get a real sense of how vast the universe is.” Astrophotographer Don Riddle also leads astrophotography courses.
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July 12-17, Nebraska Star Party, Nebraska
Located in the Sandhills area, this celebration is geared to be family friendly. Most activities take place in the Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area. Daytime recreational options include kayaking on the Niobrara National Scenic River, taking a field trip to Mount Rushmore National Memorial, or animal-watching the 70,000-plus acre native prairies and wetlands of the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge. Want to learn more? Join the beginner’s field school, a progressive, three-evening program covering astronomy basics.
John Johnson, the star party’s outreach and program director and member of the Omaha Astronomical Society hopes they “raise awareness of this area of the country and help us preserve” its rare dark skies. “This is a natural resource that we're losing,” he says.
July 17-19, Alberta StarBQ, Caroline, Alberta
Join Calgary’s members of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada at Eccles Ranch Observing site. The events include a catered pork barbecue on Saturday night and a scavenger hunt for specific stars, galaxies, and globular clusters.
July 17, August 14, and September 4, Logan Pass Star Party, Glacier National Park, Montana
The Big Sky Astronomy Club partners with the Glacier National Park Conservancy for three summer star parties. People are “pretty shocked to see how dark it is,” says Jim Rittenburg, the president of the club. “Light pollution has become a big problem, so we’re educating people on dark skies and responsible lighting.” The event requires pre-registration which can be done only in person the day before at one of the park’s visitor, not online. They usually fill up, and starting at 9:30 pm no cars are allowed to leave the parking lot until midnight to preserve night vision.
August 10–16, Almost Heaven Star Party, West Virginia
The Northern Virginia Astronomy Club and Experience Learning, an outdoor education nonprofit, partner to host this party under some of the East Coast’s darkest skies “in the middle of nowhere,” says co-chair of the event, Chris Lee. Stargazers need to camp in the Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area of the Shenandoah Mountains. Daytime activities may include fishing, a train ride on the Cass Scenic Railroad, hiking, and climbing. Due to its proximity to the Green Bank Observatory for radio astronomy, the park is in the National Radio Quiet Zone, so cell service is limited.
August 13-16, Starfest, Ontario
Join volunteers from the North York Astronomical Association for one of Canada’s largest star celebrations. The event coincides with the Perseids Meteor Shower, and organizers suggest attending several nights to ensure clear skies. Attending star parties has been a source of entertainment and community for Diane Ferguson, a member of NYAA and longtime volunteer. “I brought my kids for years. I started going to the party before I even had kids,” says Ferguson. “It's always nice to be with other enthusiasts and be re-enthused every year.”
August 14-16, Maine State Star Party, Pembroke, Maine
Look skyward with the Downeast Amateur Astronomers from the Pembroke Fairgrounds. The event includes a professor of astronomy as guest speaker, solar and night telescopes, along with an astronomy jeopardy game.
September 4-5, Fundy Park Stargaze, New Brunswick
Members of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada will lead stargazing events at Fundy National Park on the Bay of Fundy. Events will include guest speakers, solar viewing, and a telescope and astrophotography clinic.
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