Event Report
Comments and anecdotes about the event:
DEATH VALLEY, Calif. – Clear skies, calm winds, and scientists from around the country combined to create a stellar experience during the 2025 Dark Sky Festival in Death Valley National Park. With a total of 6,824 program attendees, this year’s festival marked the highest attendance in its 13 year history.
Certified as an International Dark Sky Park, Death Valley's unique landscape has also helped scientists better understand worlds beyond our own, making it the perfect venue to celebrate dark night skies and planetary science.
The Dark Sky Festival kicked off with a virtual lift-off event on Thursday, February 20, featuring a talk by Dr. Michael Malaska from NASA’s renowned Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This was followed by three days of in-person auditorium talks, field trips, astrophotography meet-ups, family programs, night sky tours, and other presentations.
On both Friday and Saturday over 1,100 people attended the Star Party where attendees were able to peer into deep space using telescopes provided by the Las Vegas Astronomical Society and hear short astronomy talks from National Park Rangers.
“This festival wouldn’t be possible without the hard work of NPS staff and our numerous partners,” said Superintendent Mike Reynolds. “Together we were able to share the wonders of the night sky and celebrate Death Valley’s role as a planetary analog with the public.”
Programs are held in partnership with the NASA’s Ames Research Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Desert Research Center, National Ecological Observatory Network, Death Valley Natural History Association, Vegas Astronomical Society, and SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence).
Visitors interact with NASA Ames at the 2025 Dark Sky Festival Exploration Fair Credit: NPS
Ranger provides constellation tour during the Friday Night Star Party Credit: NASA Earth to Sky