The Venue

ESSP at Montosa Ranch

The Enchanted Skies Star Party (ESSP) 2024 is set to run from Thursday to Sunday, October 3-6, marking a significant milestone in its 31-year history. Originally launched in 1994 by staff from New Mexico Tech and NRAO's VLA, ESSP will, for the first time, be held at the Montosa Ranch Campground. This new location, situated just eight miles from the VLA center, offers a rustic yet spacious setting in a juniper forest typical of the Magdalena area, providing exceptionally dark skies and a host of expanded amenities.

Enchanted Skies Star Party (ESSP) 2024

The Montosa Ranch Campground boasts enhanced infrastructure, ample space for observers, numerous RV hookups, a few motel-like accommodations, kitchen and rustic dining facilities, a setup for a swap meet, and a contemporary building for lectures, all at an altitude of 7,120 feet. The environment at Montosa Ranch has been compared to the long-running Riverside Telescope Makers Convention at Camp Oaks near Big Bear, California, but with significantly darker skies.

The Magdalena Astronomical Society, Inc. (MAS), which achieved 501(c)(3) status in 2017, now stewards ESSP.

Light Polution Map for the ESSP 2024 venue at Montosa Ranch

Getting Here

Plane and drive

Fly into ABQ airport. Rent a car and drive to the coordinates on the map. You can get food supplies in Albuquerque or in Socorro, about 40 minutes away.