Nightfall Star Party & Imaging Conference 2026

The event takes place at The Palm Canyon Hotel and RV Resort in Borrego Springs, California.

The organizer identifies Southern Californian amateur astronomers as its audience.

It is most useful for southern Californian amateur astronomers and astrophotographers, since the speaker list runs to around thirty presenters including Dennis Mammana and Don Pensack, and sponsors such as Stellarvue Telescopes and Eyepieces Etc. serve hobbyist equipment buyers. Professional researchers or people new to the hobby with no equipment would get less from it, since the event is run by the Riverside Astronomical Society as an amateur star party held at an RV resort in Borrego Springs.

Star party attendees usually wear casual outdoor clothing, with warm layers, a jacket and closed shoes for cold desert nights, and daytime sun protection.