Event Details (U.S. National Park Service)

Fee:

Free.

Location: LAT/LONG: 36.000000, -112.000000

If you are driving and enter through the South Entrance Station, continue following the road you are on for 5 miles and it will lead you to the Visitor Center. Just before the parking areas, the road curves to the left. You can park your car in one of four parking areas, then walk to the telescope lot, which is on the back side of the Visitor Center Building. There will be signs and lights in the plaza to direct you to the telescope lot. Lot 4 is the closest to the telescope lot.

Repeating Event

Days:

Every day

Dates:

June 10, 2023 to June 17, 2023

Time:

7:30 PM

Duration:

4 hours

Type of Event

Campfire/Evening Program

Festival

Talk

Description

South Rim Star Party 2023

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.

Thurs June 15 – Kenny Bowekaty
Zuni Spiritual Leader, Archaeologist, Tour Guide
Discover the ways the Sun, Moon, and stars are woven into the Zuni world view, as revealed through spiritual leaders and Zuni prayer.

Fri June 16 – Gerald Dawavendewa
Hopi Artist
Exploring the Hopi Cosmos
Discover the Hopi peoples’ cultural connections to the cosmos through artwork.

Sat June 17 – Aaron Yazzie
Mechanical Engineer - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Learn about the revolutionary new Mars rover, Perseverance. 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.

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 with a short walk.

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.

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.

Become a Volunteer in 2023

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.