It’s hard to escape the glare from big cities and metro areas to see all the wonder that the skies have to offer, but several national parks are looking to serve as better windows into the cosmos. Light pollution obscures the views of the stars and planets, making it more challenging for people to marvel at them in the dark skies. To celebrate such cosmic views, several national parks are organizing stargazing festivals or “star parties” that can help visitors enjoy the pristine glittering skies this summer and fall. Several national parks have been designated so-called dark-sky sites, which means they have exceptionally high-quality night conditions to see the stars without the glare from nearby cities. Ann Congdon, president of Sky’s the Limit Observatory & Nature Center, which helps organize the Night Sky Festival at the Joshua Tree National Park in California, said: “It’s critical to make people aware that the dark night sky is a precious natural resource that can’t be taken for granted.”

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Persons: Ann Congdon, Joshua, “, ” Organizations: Sky Association, Nature Center Locations: Tucson, Ariz, California