Great Basin Astronomy Festival welcomes night sky enthusiasts

News Release Date: September 8, 2026
Contact:Great Basin National Park Public Affairs

BAKER, NV - Great Basin National Park will celebrate its dark skies with the 23rd annual Great Basin Astronomy Festival from Thursday, Sept. 10, through Saturday, Sept. 12. Visitors are invited to join rangers, volunteers, and amateur and professional astronomers for three days and nights of astronomy activities for all ages.

Great Basin is an International Dark Sky Park, as certified by DarkSky International, and features some of the darkest night skies in the country. During the daytime, visitors may safely view the sun through solar telescopes, enjoy ranger programs, and participate in kids' programs, while each evening features different events followed by hours of telescope observing staffed by astronomy volunteers.

The festival begins Thursday, Sept. 10, with solar viewing during the day, followed by the Art in the Dark program that evening. On Friday evening, guest speaker Dr. Cameron Hummels, a research scientist and director of astrophysics outreach at Caltech, will discuss his research into how galaxies like the Milky Way evolve over billions of years. Saturday evening, Dr. Charles Jui of the University of Utah will discuss local astronomical research at the Telescope Array Project in Utah.

All events are free; although some may require pre-registration. The Great Basin National Park Foundation provides support for the festival.

For more information and a full schedule, visit https://nps.gov/grba/planyourvisit/great-basin-astronomy-festival.htm.

About the National Park Service. Established in 1916, the National Park Service preserves America's most treasured natural and cultural places for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of current and future generations. Learn more at nps.gov .

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