Unforgettable Nights Under the Stars: My Winter Star Party Experience in the Florida Keys

Florida Keys winter star party

First, What is a Star Party?

I get asked this a lot.

All year round, amateur astronomers gather around the world under dark skies for star parties. People have been congregating beneath the stars with telescopes for centuries. There are even stories linking back to King George III in the 18th-19th centuries, using lanterns in trees as stand-ins (!) for stars on cloudy nights for him and his guests to view through their telescopes.

The earliest major, and well documented precursor of a star party, is the Stellafane convention, held on July 3, 1926 in Springfield, Vermont. Around 20 telescope enthusiasts gathered on Breezy Hill and this became an annual event spanning 4 days every year. Stellafane attendance ranges between 600-1000 people. There are other large star parties, some of which see around 1,000 people a night.

Star parties are wonderful events where you can look at the heavens through a myriad variety of telescopes. The comradery is on another scale at these events. The skies are dark, the telescopes are plentiful, and the people are a delight.

Star parties range in types of experience. Stellafane is known for its telescope-making competitions, and intimate community. Others, like the Grand Canyon star party prioritize massive public engagement, while others, like the Texas or Oregon star parties, emphasize darker skies and dedicated amateur setups.

I attended my very first star party in February 2026. After years (okay, decades) of scheduling and life conflicts, I finally got to attend one. In addition, I was absolutely delighted and honored to be invited to be a speaker – the cherry on the delightful starry cake!

My experience can be summarized in three words: It was magical.

Southern Cross Astronomical Society’s Epic Event

The Southern Cross Astronomical Society (SCAS) holds their Winter Star Party (WPS) every year during the dry and warm winter months of January or February, centered around the time of the new moon. It has been held annually since 1985. The star party is held on the Florida Keys at the Boy Scout and Girl Scout campgrounds on Scout Key. It is a week-long event full of stargazing, astrophotography, speaker presentations, vendor booths, daytime exploration, and views of the ocean under a clear, Bortle 3 sky. There is even a food truck that dishes out breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late night snacks.

The Southern Cross Astronomical Society (SCAS), originally founded in 1922 as the Southern Cross Observatory, is one of the oldest amateur astronomical societies in the Western Hemisphere. The WPS is one of the premier star parties in North America.

Daytime at the Winter Star Party Florida Keys

Every morning and late afternoon, the birds are active along the shore.

Florida winged beauty

The WPS has an attendance of 400-550 astronomy enthusiasts every year. People set up camping tents, or have camper vans, or campers. The Boys Scout camp also has glamping tents, where I stayed. The campground has a large building with bathrooms and showers with an open air classroom where presentations are held.

When I arrived, there was lots of activity at the campsites. Telescopes were unpacked and being setup.

Setting up a telescope

There was a huge variety of telescopes of every size, type and make. Refractors, reflectors, Schmidt-Cassegrains, Maksutov-Cassegrains, Dobsonians, solar telescopes, smart telescopes, handmade telescopes, and so many more. The cool part was getting to look through them. It’s akin to going to a candy store and sampling the various types of exotic, delicious candies.

During the sun-drenched hours, the telescopes are covered with reflective coverings to keep the temperature as low as possible under the blazing sun. A hot telescope tube takes a long time to cool and stabilize, and makes for poor viewing at night.

Tents and telescopes
More tents and telescopes

The Starry Nights

The glamping tents with Orion and the Pleiades overhead.

Stars at the Winter Star Party Florida Keys

As I took a flight to Florida from Boston, I had limits to the amount of gear I could bring. I didn’t pack any of my telescopes, but packed my Nikon Z9, Benro Polaris Astro, three lenses (Nikkor Z 20mm f/1.8 S, Nikkor Z 28-400mm, and the Viltrox 135mm f/1.8 LAB Z), an Induro tripod, a mini PC, guide scope, ZWO guide camera, power banks, a Samsung tablet, a portable monitor, and a travel router. I spent each night photographing the sky and viewing deep space objects through the telescopes in and around both camps.

The Winter Milky Way blazed brightly in the dark sky. There was a bit of green airglow, too. The stars appear to touch the horizon here. The galactic core rises around 3:15 AM in February. Quite a few people photographed it. I had great intentions of photographing the galactic core but never succeeded in staying up long enough to see it. One night, we witnessed the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket traverse the sky not long after it launched.

Nikon Z9 | Nikkor Z 20mm f/1.8 S | ISO 6400 | f/2.8 | 8 seconds | 20 frames stacked

The Milky Way blazed brightly in the dark sky.

The beach and boardwalk under the starry sky. Orion is on the right, the dog star Sirius shines brightly to the left.

Nikon Z9 | Nikkor Z 20mm f/1.8 S | ISO 6400 | f/2.8 | 8 seconds | Single frame

The constellation Orion and a beautiful beach

Below, a stacked frame of the belt of Orion. Nikon Z9 | Viltrox 135mm LAB Z lens | ISO 500 | f/7.1 | 130 seconds. Tracked with the Benro Polaris Astro. Slightly cropped.

A view of the Orion and Horsehead nebulae.

Every night, the telescopes were unwrapped and put to work, revealing the jewels in the velvety dark sky. Red flashlights appeared to dance all night. This was the awesome scene each night at WPS.

Star Parties are for Everyone

I met many people at WPS. People with five telescopes, others with just one telescope, some with no telescope at all. Some spend the nights viewing planets and deep space objects through eyepieces; others photograph them, some do both. All come to learn, view the heavens, and experience the special comradery of the amateur astronomy community.

It is a special group of people that share their knowledge, their telescope and their love of the heavens. I encourage everyone to experience at least one star party.

Below is a list of the major star parties. Some organizations hold two events a year. Many local astronomy groups hold smaller outreach events throughout the year. They are a great resource to learn about the night sky and telescopes. Find the one closest to you.

Planning to attend a star party? Share your own experiences in the comments! Myself, I am very much looking forward to my next star party, I absolutely won’t let years (or decades) pass again.

A List of Star Parties Around the World

The following lists the major annual star parties for astronomical viewing and festivals worldwide for amateur astronomers in 2026. For general rules of conduct at star parties, see star party etiquette. (List is courtesy of www.go-astronomy.com)

U.S. Star Parties

WHATWHENLOCATION
Almost Heaven Star PartyAug 10-16, 2026Spruce Knob Mountain, WV
Badlands Astronomy FestivalTBA, 2026Badlands National Park, SD
Black Canyon FestivalTBA fall, 2026Black Canyon of the Gunnison, CO
Black Forest Star PartyTBA summer, 2026Cherry Springs State Park, PA
Bootleg Spring Star PartyTBA spring, 2026Green River SWA, IL
Bootleg Fall Star PartyTBA fall, 2026Green River SWA, IL
Bryce Canyon FestivalTBA, 2026Bryce Canyon National Park, UT
Cherry Springs Star PartyTBA summer, 2026Cherry Springs State Park, PA
Dakota Nights FestivalTBA, 2026Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND
Death Valley Dark Sky FestivalTBA, 2026Death Valley National Park, CA
Eldorado Star PartyTBA, 2026X-Bar Ranch, TX
Golden State Star PartyTBA, 2026Bieber, CA
Grand Canyon Star PartyTBA, 2026Grand Canyon National Park (South Rim), AZ
Great Basin FestivalTBA, 2026Great Basin National Park, NV
Great Lakes Star GazeTBA, 2026River Valley RV Park, MI
Green Bank Star QuestTBA, 2026Green Bank Observatory, WV
Idaho Star PartyTBA, 2026Bruneau Dunes State Park, ID
Joshua Tree Night Sky FestivalTBA, 2026Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Midsouth StargazeTBA, 2026Natchez Trace Parkway, MS
Nebraska Star PartyTBA, 2026Merritt Reservoir, NE
Nightfall Star PartyTBA, 2026Borrego Springs, CA
Okie-Tex Star PartyTBA, 2026Kenton, OK
Orange Blossom SpecialTBA, 2026Withlacoochee River Park, FL
Oregon Star PartyTBA, 2026Ochoco National Forest, OR
Rocky Mountain Star StareTBA, 2026Gardner, CO
Shenandoah Night Sky FestivalTBA summer, 2026Shenandoah National Park, VA
Stars Over KatahdinTBA summer, 2026Katahdin Woods and Waters, ME
StellafaneTBA, 2026Breezy Hill, VT
Table Mountain Star PartyTBA, 2026Jameson Lake, WA
Texas Eclipse & Star PartyTBA, 2026Aquilla, TX
Winter Star PartyTBA, 2026Scout Key, FL

Canada Star Parties

WHATWHENNEAR
Alberta StarBQTBA, 2026Caroline, AB
Alberta Star PartyTBA, 2026Drumheller, AB
Butter Pot Star PartyTBA, 2026Butter St. John’s, NL
Fundy Star GazeTBA, 2026Fundy Par, NB
Island Star PartyTBA, 2026Duncan, BC
Jasper Dark Sky FestivalTBA, 2026Jasper Park, AB
Kouchibouguac Spring Star FestTBA, 2026Kouchibouguac Park, NB
Kouchibouguac Fall Star FestTBA, 2026Kouchibouguac Park, NB
Mount Carleton Star PartyTBA, 2026Mount Carleton, NB
Mount Kobau Star PartyTBA, 2026Mount Kobau, BC
N. Prairie Star PartyTBA, 2026Tofield, AB
Nova East Star PartyTBA, 2026Newport, NS
Saskatchewan Star PartyTBA, 2026Maple Creek, SK
StarfestTBA, 2026Hanover, Ontario
Thebacha & Wood Buffalo FestivalTBA, 2026Wood Buffalo Park, NT

UK & Ireland Star Parties

WHATWHENNEAR
AstrocampTBA, 2026Brecon Beacons, England
Dalby Forest StarFestTBA, 2026North Yorkshire, England
Equinox Sky CampTBA, 2026Norfolk, England
Mayo Dark Sky FestivalTBA, 2026Newport, Ireland
Skellig Star PartyTBA, 2026County Kerry, Ireland

Australia Star Parties

WHATWHENNEAR
Queensland AstrofestTBA, 2026Linville, QLD
OzSky Star SafariTBA, 2026Coonabarabran, NSW
OzSky Star SafariTBA, 2026Coonabarabran, NSW
South Pacific Star PartyTBA, 2026Ilford, NSW

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