The 2023 Annual Astronomy Festival will begin Thursday, September 14 and conclude Saturday, September 16.

Great Basin National Park hosts and Annual Astronomy Festival celebrating our night sky during the weekend of the new moon. This year, events will be held from September 14th and continue through September 16th, 2023. We are happy to welcome park visitors to Great Basin to view the night skies together.

Everyone can enjoy the night sky in their own way. This year's festival events will include guest speakers, photo workshops, tours of the Great Basin Observatory (GBO), and other fun programs for families. The park is excited to welcome back amateur astronomer volunteers and their telescopes for an out-of-this-world star party each night of the festival.

Telescope Viewing

Each night the telescope viewing area will be open to the public from 8 pm to 11 pm. During this time amateur astronomers will have telescopes set up for the public to view the stars.

Follow the red lights from the Lehman Caves Visitor Center to walk down to the viewing area. For accessibility needs contact a ranger at the Lehman Caves Visitor Center parking lot.

A free bus will run from the Great Basin Visitor Center (in the town of Baker) to the Lehman Caves Visitor Center (in the park) each night from 8 pm to 11 pm.

Interested in bringing a telescope for viewing as a volunteer? Contact the Astronomy Rangers via email. Volunteers MUST be pre-registered for the festival.

Festival Events and Programs

All park events and programs are weather dependent.

The Art in The Dark Program, Great Basin Observatory Tour, and the Photo Workshop require advance registration via Eventbrite, space is limited. See information below on how to register for these programs. Inquire at the Lehman Caves Visitor Center for day-of cancellations.

Other walk-up programs will be offered at or around the Lehman Caves Visitor Center. Check with the Front Desk for more information on walk-up programs.

Guest Speakers

This year we welcome Dr. Richard Plotkin from the Great Basin Observatory (GBO) and Blaire Weinberg, an Uplink Engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory(JPL), as guest speakers. Both guest speakers will begin their talks at 6:30 pm at the Astronomy Amphitheater on the given night. Parking is at the Lehman Caves Visitor Center, about a quarter mile walk away. Talk to a ranger for accessibility needs.

Our Keynote Speaker, Dr. Richard Plotkin, is an Assistant Professor of Physics at the University of Nevada, Reno and will be speaking on 9/15 about how the Great Basin Observatory (GBO), the only research-grade observatory on a national park, is used by students. Dr. Plotkin will be discussing the ongoing projects performed by undergraduate students at the GBO’s partner institutions, including studies of nebulae, young star forming regions, nearby galaxies, and variable stars over time. Through these projects and others, the GBO is bringing Great Basin National Park’s dark skies into classrooms across the region.

Our second guest speaker, Blaire Weinberg, is a systems engineer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and will be speaking on 9/16 about the NISAR mission and its impact on land-based astronomy observing. NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) is a joint mission between the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and JPL, and will monitor how land changes over time – critical information for many land-based telescopes that have to deal with flooding, earthquakes, or reduced observing conditions due to wildfire smoke.

Art in the Dark

Join a Ranger and an Astronomy Volunteer in an art project that experiments with how our eyes see color. This accessible and kid-friendly program will challenge artists to create and paint in low light conditions, under the guidance of the Astronomy Rangers.

This year, there will be two components to Art in the Dark

A public art project, which will not require reservations that any visitor may participate in. This large piece will then be displayed for the remainder of the festival for all to see and share in.

Individual canvas creations, which will require advanced registration, and allows visitors to take the piece of art home with them after creating under the red lights of the amphitheater.

The individual component of the Art in the Dark Program requires advance registration, space is limited. Inquire at the Lehman Caves Visitor Center for day of cancellations. Reservations open at 8:00 am Pacific Time on August 14th.

Register to take home a personal canvas at this link. After you sign up for a program you will receive instructions via e-mail, including location, time, and equipment needed. All park program participants must check in at the Lehman Caves Visitor Center the day of the program.

This program is limited to 25 people and will be held on 9/14 at 7:00 pm PT. If you are not able to secure reservations for the take-home pieces, you are still welcome to participate in the group art project. Please walk to the program from the Lehman Caves Visitor Center parking lot.

All needed art supplies will be provided.

Recommended equipment

- Blankets
- Warm clothing
- Red headlamp (not required)
- Constellation Talk

This program will be held on 9/14, 9/15 and 9/16 at 9:00 pm at the Astronomy Amphitheater. Please walk to the program from the Lehman Caves Visitor Center parking lot.

Join a ranger and volunteers for a night under the stars. This accessible program will guide visitors through the constellations, stars, and possibly galaxies visible to the unaided eye in the Great Basin night skies. Learn how to stargaze on your own for when you head back home.

Recommended equipment

- Blankets
- Warm clothing
- Binoculars (not required)

Great Basin Observatory Tour

The Great Basin Observatory Tour requires advance registration, space is limited. Inquire at the Lehman Caves Visitor Center for day of cancellations. Reservations open at 8:00 am Pacific Time on August 14th.

Register for GBO Tours at this link. After you sign up for a program you will receive instructions via e-mail, including location, time, and equipment needed. All park program participants must check in at the Lehman Caves Visitor Center the day of the program.

This program is limited to 15 people and will be held on 9/14, 9/15, and 9/16 at 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm.

Join a ranger to see the Great Basin Observatory the only research grade observatory on a National Park. Home to a 27-inch telescope, this observatory is used for research and education purposes.

This program requires a 1-mile round trip hike on a gravel trail and paved road and standing for an hour. The Great Basin Observatory Tour is not wheelchair accessible.

Recommended equipment

- Good walking shoes
- Sun protection
- Hat
- Photo Workshop

The Photo Workshop requires advance registration, space is limited. Inquire at the Lehman Caves Visitor Center for day of cancellations. Reservations open at 8:00 am Pacific Time on August 14th.

Register for the Astrophotography Workshops at this link. After you sign up for a program you will receive instructions via e-mail, including location, time, and equipment needed. All park program participants must check in at the Lehman Caves Visitor Center the day of the program.

This program is limited to 15 people per night and will be held on 9/14, 9/15, and 9/16 at 6:30 pm and run until 10:30pm.

Join a ranger and a photography volunteer to learn the basics of night photography. This workshop is intended for beginner photographers looking to start exploring how to take nighttime pictures.

Learn the advantages of various camera formats, exposure times, composition, and much more to enhance your ability to take beautiful night sky images.

Equipment needed

- Camera (DSLR or Mirrorless please)
- Wide angle lens (stock lenses are ok. f stop lower than 3.2 is preferred)
- Tripod
- Remote shutter control (recommended)
- Red light headlamp
- Warm Clothes
- Camp Chair (recommended)
- Extra Memory Card
- Extra camera batteries
- Thumb Drive

Click Here to Register in Great Basin Astronomy Festival

Date : September 14, 2023 - September 16, 2023

Location :

Lehman Caves Visitor Center

100 Great Basin National Park

Baker, NV 89311

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