Turn your gaze to Nevada’s night sky this month for a spectacular show featuring not one, but five, planets that will be visible to the naked eye! Look for Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus as they travel across the celestial sky in their natural order in our solar system. This is sure to be a delightful cosmic treat for anyone looking for a view of the incredible night sky in Nevada that comes around only once in a very long time!

The incredible space event begins in late March as the parade of planets becomes visible to stargazers. For a short period of time, after the sun sets, folks in a location with clear skies will catch the first glimpses of Mercury and Jupiter.
James Marvin Phelps/Flickr
Binoculars can help you see the smallest planet in our solar system. Face the west for the best chance to see Mercury as it appears above the horizon. Jupiter will be hovering right along with it. You'll only have about an hour after sunset to catch sight of Mercury and Jupiter before they slip below the horizon.
Leave the telescope behind, since you’ll be able to see the five planets as they make their way toward the horizon in the Nevada night sky.
CactiStaccingCrane, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
See Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus as they seem to arc toward the horizon as the evening progresses. They will be visible without special equipment, but you'll get an even better view with binoculars or a telescope.
Starting on March 25, 2023, the planets Mercury and Jupiter become visible just after the sun sets in the west.
Rachel Hanes/Flickr
Here’s a tip – head to a place that has the least amount of light pollution for the best chances of seeing the planets clearly. Nevada's many low or unpopulated areas offer incredible chances to see this event.
The best time to catch all five planets in one night is before March 28. After that date, Jupiter may sink below the horizon before the sun sets.
Glass_House/Flickr
Space enthusiasts are in for a real show as this planet parade only happens every 18 years!
Nevada is a stargazer's playground!
Oliver Liegmann/Flickr
Some of the best places to view the remarkable night sky in the state (and the world!) are Squaw Creek Reservoir, Massacre Rim, High Rock Canyon, Diamondfield Gulch, and the Basin and Range National Monument among many others. Another option is the popular Park to Park in the Dark.

Tonopah, Nevada is another one of the best places in the world to go stargazing. Watch this quick video by Nevada Silver Trails to see why you should make a trip to this wonderful area of Nevada to get a life-changing view of the stars:

Get ready for this show-stopper at the end of March to see five planets visible in Nevada for the first time since December 2004. Grab a hot cup of coffee and a blanket and make sure you get out in the Nevada desert to see this fantastic event that you won’t want to miss!

Nevada’s vast and wonderful landscape is the perfect setting for star gazing up at the night sky in Nevada. Visit the Tonopah Stargazing Park for some of the most spectacular night skies in the country!

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Stargazing in Nevada

Chris Muras | March 27, 2023

Where is the best place to go stargazing in Nevada?

Nevada is best known for the glitz and glamor of the Vegas Strip, which one would think is the worst place for stargazing. But just a few miles out from perhaps the brightest place in the world are some of the darkest places in the world. The Nevada desert is the best place to go stargazing in Nevada, and here are a few locations you won't want to miss:

  • Tonopah Stargazing Park: The Clair Blackburn Memorial Stargazing Park in Tonopah is a magical place to experience the heavens above. It was originally designated as a place for professional astronomers to study the stars but it is open to anyone who is interested in the infinite expanse above our heads.
  • The Massacre Rim Dark Sky Sanctuary, Washoe County, NV: This wilderness study area is a beautiful wide open landscape perfect for night sky viewing. As a designated Dark Sky Park it is one of the very few locations on earth that have very little unnatural light pollution. It is located where Nevada borders California and Oregon, so it is easily accessible from all three states.
  • Great Basin National Park, Eastern Nevada: Along the border with Utah is another Dark Sky Park in Nevada. The International Dark Sky Association choose this location in 2016 as one of the darkest places on earth. If you have never experienced the night sky from a dark sky park, it is definitely worth planning a road trip - the views are breathtaking.

 

Nevada is one of the best states to enjoy a night sky filled with celestial wonders. Even if an area has not been designated as a dark sky area, there are numerous places in the Nevada desert and its state parks where stargazing can be an incredible experience.

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