Joshua Tree National Park recognized as an “International Dark Sky Park”

Joshua Tree National Park is being officially recognized as an “International Dark Sky Park,” a designation given by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) to “a land possessing an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and a nocturnal environment that is specifically protected for its scientific, natural, educational, cultural heritage, and/or public enjoyment,” according to Conde Nast.

Joshua Tree will officially join the list of over 50 other Dark Sky Parks around the world, which draw stargazers and astronomers for clear views of our galaxy, at a ceremony at Joshua Tree’s Copper Mountain College on August 12.

Residents of nearby Palm Springs, Los Angeles, and San Diego already flock to Joshua Tree National Park for its stargazing opportunities, like the National Park Service’s annual Night Sky Festival every November.

The park’s website also includes some useful tips for stargazers, including a recommendation to use red flashlights only, instead of bright white ones, and to bring layers as temperatures can drop rapidly to as low as 35 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter, once the sun goes down.

Joshua Tree isn’t the only place to join the IDA’s official roster of stargazing havens. Last month, New Zealand’s Great Barrier Island was added to the much shorter, and more prestigious, list of Dark Sky Sanctuaries–reserved for even more out-of-the way, and even less light-polluted sites.