Book A Star Party

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Star Party Bookings

Three guests beside a hand-built Dobsonian telescope under the Milky Way at a private AstroZane star party in Arizona
Now booking · Nov 2026 – May 2027Your own night under the starsPrivate, guided star parties for groups of 2 to 20 across Tucson, Phoenix, and Southern Arizona.
The hand-built telescopes and night vision gear used at AstroZane star parties
Why visual observing through an eyepiece beats looking at a screen
A crowd gathered around a telescope at a public star party in Tucson
Craters and terminator shadows on the Moon seen through a telescope
The Orion Nebula, a winter star party highlight in Southern Arizona
Dark dust lanes threading the Milky Way, photographed by AstroZane from a dark-sky site
Dark-sky tripsThis is what the drive is forAn hour outside the city, the Milky Way's dust lanes are plain to the naked eye. Tell me where you're starting and I'll pick the spot.
Wide-field photograph of the constellation Orion taken from the Hovatter Road observing field west of Phoenix, Arizona
Hovatter Road · west of PhoenixDark skies are closer than you thinkOrion, photographed from an observing field about 90 minutes from downtown Phoenix. Winter is its season, and it's up all evening.

Experience the night sky like never before. I bring hand-built telescopes, binoculars, and night vision to your backyard, vacation rental, resort, or a dark-sky site, and show your group the Moon, planets, star clusters, galaxies, and nebulae in remarkable detail. Viewing at my 14.7" telescope is seated, nothing happens on a screen, and every session is private — a family night, a bachelor or bachelorette party, a birthday, or simply an evening out under the stars.

Now booking private events for November 2026 through May 2027.

Choose Your Area

Star parties in Tucson & Southern Arizona →

Tucson, Oro Valley, Marana, Vail, Green Valley, Sahuarita, and Sierra Vista, plus dark-sky sites from Gabe Zimmerman Trailhead to Chiricahua National Park. Base pricing from $300 for up to 20 guests.

Star parties in Phoenix & Scottsdale →

Anywhere in the Valley, plus dark-sky sites like Picketpost Trailhead, the Tonto National Forest, Hovatter Road, and Alamo Lake. Base pricing from $500 (two-hour minimum) for up to 20 guests, travel included.

A star party in fifteen seconds.

Destination Star Parties

For trips, retreats, and once-a-year skies, I travel across the Southwest. Destination events start at $500; that’s a base figure, and each one is quoted individually based on distance, length, and group size.

  • Grand Canyon National Park — a certified International Dark Sky Park. The Milky Way over the rim is hard to beat.
  • Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument — southwest of Tucson near Ajo, and Arizona’s newest International Dark Sky Park, certified in 2026.
  • Cosmic Campground, New Mexico — an International Dark Sky Sanctuary in the Gila National Forest, with a 360° horizon and essentially no artificial light.
  • City of Rocks State Park, New Mexico — camping among volcanic boulders between Deming and Silver City, under a very dark sky.

I also travel to Flagstaff, Las Cruces, San Diego, and most anywhere else in the region. Get in touch with your dates and I’ll put together a quote.

Stargazing at Mount Lemmon Lodge

On select Saturday evenings, I host stargazing events at the Mount Lemmon Lodge, high in the Santa Catalina Mountains above Tucson. Up there the air is thin, the horizon is high, and the sky is properly dark — a completely different experience from observing down in the city.

If you’re staying at the Lodge, it’s a perfect way to spend an evening with telescopes and a guide on hand. Check the Lodge’s event calendar for upcoming star party dates.

Telescope Repair & Assistance

Beyond star parties, I also help with telescope repair and setup. Whether your scope needs fixing or you’d like hands-on guidance to get the most out of a night under the stars, I’m available to help — in person if you’re in the Tucson or Phoenix area.

Shopping for a telescope or accessories? I’d recommend starting at telescopicwatch.com for reviews and buying guides, then reaching out if you’d like a second opinion.

Contact me to book a session or ask a question.

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