60 ASTRONOMY • SEPTEMBER 2017

ON SATURDAY, APRIL

29, 2017, the inaugural

“A m e r i c a ’s D a r k e s t S k y

Star Party” was held in

Lordsburg and Animas,

New Mexico. The

event’s host was Dark

Sky New Mexico

(DSNM), an astronomy

community in Hidalgo

County, 35 miles (56

kilometers) from

Lordsburg, the county

seat.

While planning the star

party, the owners of DSNM

Several dozen people gathered in a small town under a clear, steady sky

— all for the love of astronomy. by Michael E. Bakich; images by David J. Eicher

FUN AT AMERICA’S

— Larry Rosenberg, Steven Blum,

and Michael Hensley — asked

Astronomy’s editor, David J. Eicher,

and me to speak at the event.

A wonderful spot

DSNM’s location is ideal for observ-

ing and astroimaging. It sits

4,600 feet (1,400 meters) above sea

level and boasts more than 300 clear

days (and nights, of course!) each

year. Meteorologists classify the

region as semiarid, and the site

receives an average of only 14 inches

(36 centimeters) of rain per year,

mostly during the southwestern

monsoon season. (In recent years,

however, precipitation has been far

below normal.)

Both the sky clarity and the

steadiness of the air are superb.

Several well-known amateur

astronomers, including a few long-

time image contributors to

Astronomy, have set up observato-

ries there.

In addition, individuals and

groups from as far away as South

Korea have facilities on site.

Owners operate most observatories

remotely, collecting data or captur-

ing images each clear night. DSNM

O 6600 AASTRONOSTRONOMY• SEPTEMBER 2017

ON S

29 ,

“A

s

party

As twilight nears its end

with a young Moon

hanging overhead,

an observatory readies

at America’s Darkest

Sky Star Party near

Animas, New Mexico,

April 29.