Star Parties & "Nights Out" The Chester County Astronomical Society offers "nights out" to interested organizations including local schools, scouting groups, and other civic groups for the purpose of learning more about the heavens. For example, scouting groups often hold them to earn badges for their members. If your organization is interested in hosting a Night Out, please contact our coordinator, Don Miller. Star Parties are similar to our "Nights Out" but are open to the public and are organized at the national and regional level. Listed below are upcoming star parties; click on the star party title for more information directly from their website. March 2026 Star Parties April 2026 Star Parties South Jersey Astronomy Club Spring Star Party April 9 - 12, 2026 Sponsored by the South Jersey Astronomy Club. Belleplain State Forest, near Woodbine, New Jersey. *Tri*Star* - The Triad StarFest April 11, 2026 Hosted by the Greensboro Astronomy Club and the Cline Observatory. Guilford Technical Community College, Jamestown, North Carolina. Annual Northeast Astronomy Forum (NEAIC) Astro-Imaging Conference April 9 - 10, 2026 Sponsored by the Rockland Astronomy Club. Rockland Community College - Suffern, New York. 35th Annual Northeast Astronomy Forum (NEAF) & Solar Star Party April 11 - 12, 2026 Sponsored by the Rockland Astronomy Club. Rockland Community College - Suffern, New York. May 2026 Star Parties Spring Stargaze May 13 - 17, 2026. Held by the Oil Region Astronomical Society at the ORAS Learning Center and Bruce M Bedow Observatory, 4249 Camp Coffman Road, Cranberry, Pennsylvania 16319. June 2025 Star Parties Cherry Springs Star Party June 11 - 14, 2026 Presented by the Astronomical Society of Harrisburg, Harrisburg, PA. Cherry Springs State Park, Coudersport, Pennsylvania. Grand Canyon Star Party - South Rim June 6 - 13, 2026 Held on the South Rim in northern Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park. For eight days in June, park visitors will explore the wonders of the night sky with the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association. July 2026 Star Parties Green Bank Star Quest XX July 15 - 18, 2026 National Radio Observatory, Green Bank, West Virginia. August 2026 Star Parties Almost Heaven Star Party August 10 - 16, 2026 Sponsored by the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club. Held at The Mountain Institute's Spruce Knob Mountain Center in Circleville, West Virginia. Stellafane Convention August 13 - 16, 2026 The 88th Convention of Amateur Telescope Makers on Breezy Hill in Springfield, Vermont. Sponsored by the Springfield Telescope Makers, Inc. September 2026 Star Parties Black Forest Star Party September 11 - 13, 2026 (tentative dates) Sponsored by the Central Pennsylvania Observers. Cherry Springs State Park, Coudersport, Pennsylvania. October 2026 Star Parties