Astronomy

The Night Sky Festival to Shine at Joshua Tree National Park

Glimmer shimmer: Make for the low-lit wonderland of boulders and cacti, then gaze up into the deep reaches of the galaxy.

casey kiernan

What to Know

  • Sept. 3-5, 2021
  • Photography workshops, tours, more; Sky’s The Limit Observatory & Nature Center and Joshua Tree Residential Education Experience are behind the Labor Day Weekend gathering
  • Tickets vary by event; the Night Star Party adult ticket is $50

A FRAME OF BOULDERS: Picture frames, as a general rule, are measured by inches. If you want to put a school photo on the dresser, you're going to choose something that can sit on a dresser, so a smaller frame, most probably. But far larger things can add visual splendor to beautiful things they're framing. Take the boulders of Joshua Tree National Park and the night sky. Place yourself in just the right spot, with boulders providing contrast to the stars above, and you've got a breathtaking sight. Such sights will be at the center of the Night Sky Festival in the dazzling desert park, a multi-event happening that's set for the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of Labor Day Weekend 2021.

THERE ARE SEVERAL PARTS... to this party, including an Astronomy Lecture Series, Night Sky Light Painting at Cap Rock, and Astrophotography at Sky's the Limit Observatory. Tickets are a la carte, so you can choose the pursuits that pique your curiosity. Oh, and this is lovely: Other goings-on, including the chance to pan for gold, are on the roster. If you've only ever been a daytimer at the national park, but you've heard the stories of the shimmery Milky Way and spectacular planet sightings on moon-less or moon-lite nights, this could be your next stop, a true chance to commune with the desert night.

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