Commissioned by the New York Times, this series looks at those who seek meaning in the night sky - from backyard stargazers to seasoned astronomers across New Mexico.

Stargazer silhouetted against starry night sky

The Star Partyers of New Mexico

The Gila Wilderness in NM
“We live here because it’s dark,” Dar- rel Moon, an amateur astronomer, said of his slice of rural New Mexico. Roughly six years ago, Mr. Moon built his own observatory to track asteroids in the dark skies above the Route 60 corridor between Pie Town
Totoritis Observatory in Pie Town, N.M., during the 2021 Enchanted Skies Star Party.
Stars at Ski Santa
Star party in Moriarty, N.M.
Joey Troy of the Albuquerque Astronomical Society, using red light at GNTO Observatory in Belen, N.M. Stargazing astromoner
Dark Sky New Mexico observatory in Animas, NM.
John W. Briggs, an instrumentation engineer, repairs vintage telescopes.
Star maps are still handy, but these days most stargazers use mobile apps.
It can take a half-hour for eyes to fully adjust to the luminescence of the night sky, and lasers are helpful for pointing out features.
Star-filled night sky over New Mexico desert
Young stargazer
Deep night sky over rugged desert terrain
Viola Sanchez, a retired civil engineer, has volunteered with the Albuquerque Astronomical Society, or TAAS, for more than 10 years. She often brings her eight-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope to share with budding stargazers who attend these star p
Stargazer using telescope under clear dark sky