Grand Canyon Star Party 2022, June 18-25

Grand Canyon National Park is one of the best places in the world to enjoy pristine night skies.

 

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Things to Know about the 2022 Star Party

• Attend this free, open to the general public, event. The park entrance fee, is good on both South and North rims for 7 days. No additional tickets or sign-up is required.

• The event begins at sunset, although the best viewing is after 9 pm and many telescopes come down after 11 pm; however, on nights with clear, calm skies, some astronomers continue sharing their telescopes into the night.

• Campground or lodging reservations are recommended.
• Dress warmly. Temperatures drop quickly after sunset—even during summer months.
• View an assortment of planets, double stars, star clusters, nebulae and distant galaxies by night, and perhaps the Sun or Venus by day.
• Skies will be starry and dark until the moon rises the first night. It rises progressively later throughout the week of the Star Party.

Bring a Red Flashlight

Make your way safely: use a red flashlight; white flashlights and cell phone lights are discouraged on the telescope lot. Make a red flashlight by:

• Covering any flashlight with red cellophane, a limited supply of cellophane and rubber bands are available prior to the evening presentations at the Grand Canyon Visitor center)

• Painting the flashlight lens with red nail polish or a red magic marker.
• For more on why red flashlights are helpful, and how the human eye works after dark, click here.

 

South Rim Star Party 2022

Events include an outdoor evening program nightly, just outside Grand Canyon Visitor Center — at 8 pm, followed by telescope viewing in the large lot behind the Visitor Center.

To attend the evening programs, arrive before 8 pm to be sure of getting a good view of the screen, or arrive after dark and head straight to the telescope lot.

Park rangers offer constellation tours at 9, 9:30, and 10 pm. The slide show, constellation tours, and at least one telescope are wheelchair accessible.

The closest accessible parking is in lot 4. Lots 1 through 3 offer additional parking.

During the Star Party, the Village Route (blue) shuttle bus runs every half-hour until 11 pm sharp.

The South Rim Star Party is sponsored by the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association.

Amateur astronomers from across the country volunteer their expertise and offer free nightly astronomy programs and telescope viewing.

 

Star Party Evening Programs (South Rim)

South Rim Visitor Center. Doors open at 7:40 pm. Presentations start at 8 pm. (Limited-capacity seating)

June 18th - 8 p.m.

Mars Perseverance

Aaron Yazzie - Mechanical Engineer, NASA JPL, American Indian Science and Engineering Society

Learn about the revolutionary new rover that landed on Mars from someone who helped build it. Discover the connections between Mars and the Navajo Nation from someone intimate with both lands.

June 19th - 8 p.m.

Unfold the Universe with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope

John Durning - Deputy Project Manager, James Webb Space Telescope Project, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Explore the engineering and science behind the newly launched James Webb Space Telescope. Learn about the Webb in-space deployments and the first science images coming this summer!

June 20th - 8 p.m.

Tour of the Universe: You Are Here

Dean Regas - Outreach Astronomer, Cincinnati Observatory, Former Co-Host of PBS’s Star Gazers

Rocket through space and sail among billions of stars and galaxies as you contemplate the mind-blowing scale of the universe.

June 21st - 8 p.m.

Stars Up, Lights Down

Ashley Wilson - Director of Conservation, International Dark Sky Association

Discover what the International Dark Sky Association does to protect our precious dark night skies from the threats of light pollution.

June 22nd - 8 p.m.

Fly me to the Moon via Northern Arizona

Kevin Schindler - Lowell Observatory Historian

In the 1960’s-70’s astronauts trained in northern Arizona for their epic missions to the moon.

June 23rd - 8 p.m.

Harmonious Nightscapes

Dark Sky Quartet - Classical String Quartet Performance

Join us for a live performance from the Dark Sky Quartet! Discover how music of planets, stars, and the cosmos inspires contemplation of the Heavens.

June 24th - 8 p.m.

Life in the Cosmos

David Koerner - Emeritus Professor, Northern Arizona University

Discover how factors which led to life on Earth hint at the possibilities for extraterrestrial life in the universe.

June 25th - 8 p.m.

The Amazing Nuwuvi Universe

Autumn Gillard - Southern Paiute Astronomer, Pipe Spring National Monument

Soar into space with an indigenous astronomer and learn about the cultural connection that the Southern Paiute have with the dark sky.

 

Night Sky Photography Workshops (South Rim)

Night Sky Photography Workshops meet at Grand Canyon Visitor Center at 9:30 pm, then take place out under the stars. Workshops are free and open to the public.
Schedule Coming soon

Constellation Talks (South Rim)

Constellation talks happen every night of the event: 9, 9:30 and 10 pm

Special guest constellation talks:

June 20th, 9:30 pm - Dean Regas, Outreach Astronomer, Cincinnati Observatory, Former Co-Host of PBS' Stargazers

June 21st, 9:30 pm - Dean Regas, Outreach Astronomer, Cincinnati Observatory, Former Co-Host of PBS' Stargazers

 

Telescope viewing on the veranda of Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim

Photo courtesy of Christian Schroll

North Rim Star Party 2022

Telescopes are set up on the porch of the Grand Canyon Lodge every evening. An astronomy related evening program will be presented at 8 pm in the auditorium of Grand Canyon Lodge. Check park bulletin boards for the evening program schedule.

Constellation talks are also given, throughout the evening.

By day, solar telescopes are set up at the lodge, the Visitor Center and the general store (by campground.)

The North Rim Star Party is sponsored by the Saguaro Astronomy Club of Phoenix, Arizona.

 

Become a Volunteer in 2022

All amateur astronomers interested in sharing the skies with visitors are invited to participate. Whether you can volunteer for a few days or the whole event, you can help to enrich the lives of people from all over the world.

Find volunteer opportunities for day and night telescopic outreach, visual and imaging, laser guided constellation tours, demonstration toolkits and auditorium presentations. Register through the astronomy clubs sponsoring the event, links provided.

• Sign up for the South Rim Star Party with the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association.
• Sign up for the North Rim Star Party with the Saguaro Astromomy Club.

 

Questions? E-mail

Rader Lane, Night Sky Park Ranger
Grand Canyon National Park
[phone]

 

Future Star Party Dates

2022: June 18–25
2023: June 10–17
2024: June 1–08
2025: June 21–28
2026: June 6–13

 

Star Party and Night Sky Videos

• Night Spoken Series
• Video Presentations from Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party 2020
• Video Presentations from Virtual Grand Canyon Star Party 2021
• North Rim Star Party Video by the Planetary Society

 

Duration:

4 minutes, 33 seconds

The 2022 Star Party will take place June 18-25 on both North and South Rims of the park. Here is some basic information about this event.

 

Duration:

1 minute, 40 seconds

Amateur astronomers from across the country volunteer their expertise and offer free nightly astronomy programs and telescope viewing.

 

Duration:

10 minutes, 4 seconds

Experience the mystery and wonder of Grand Canyon National Park's night sky with Astronomer Tyler Nordgren and Park Ranger Rader Lane. Explore the beauty of the night sky and learn what you can do to help preserve it.

 

Related Information

• Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association Website
• Saguaro Astronomy Club Website
• Arizona State Parks - Upcoming Star Party Astronomy Events
• Night Skies at Grand Canyon National Park
• National Park Service - Night Skies