Opened in October 2025, the Dorrance DOME is redefining immersive experiences, welcoming 205 guests in 200 premium seats –112 fixed and 88 movable – plus five ADA-compliant spaces for full accessibility. At its core, a breathtaking 60-foot LED dome composed of 9,026 panels and 44 million LEDs delivers 8K+ resolution at more than 100 times the brightness of traditional projection. Powered by the state-of-the-art Cosm CX System and advanced Digistar planetarium software, the Dorrance DOME transforms every presentation into a fully immersive journey, offering a seamless, ultra-realistic canvas for scientific, educational, and live experiential content. Step inside and explore the universe in stunning detail, where space, science, and imagination come alive with vibrant color, immersive motion, and powerful sound. From classic favorites to limited-run features, the Dorrance DOME sets a bold new standard for storytelling, bigger, brighter, and more inspiring than ever.

Kartchner Caverns State Park, located in southeastern Arizona, was designated a Dark Sky Park in 2017. Kartchner offers a variety of nighttime astronomy programs for Park visitors, hosts several dark sky related events per year and is increasingly known across the region among amateur astronomers, who bring their telescopes to enjoy access to Silver-tier dark skies. The Park has also achieved a 99% initial compliance with its Lightscape Management Plan.

Photo Credit: Arizona State Parks and Trails

Founded in 1894 and one of the oldest observatories in the U.S., Lowell Observatory continues to be a research facility and instrumental in major discoveries including the first detection of the expanding nature of the universe, the rings of Uranus, the atmosphere of Pluto, moon mapping for the Apollo program as well as scores of others. The Observatory visitor center offers interactive, hands-on exhibits. Guided daytime tours that take visitors to the 24-inch Clark Telescope, built in 1896, the historic Rotunda library museum and the original 13-inch Pluto Discovery Telescope. Evening programming includes an open house at the Putnam Collection Center where visitors can look at historic items from the Observatory's collection, films, science demonstrations, a constellation tour and evening telescope viewing.

Photo Credit: Lowell Observatory/Abe Snider

The Mount Graham International Observatory (MGIO) is located in the Pinaleño Mountains near Mount Graham in southeastern Arizona. It hosts three major telescopes: the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope, the Heinrich Hertz Submillimeter Telescope, and the Large Binocular Telescope—one of the world’s most powerful optical telescopes. The observatory, operated by the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory, began construction in 1989 and is open for public tours seasonally. Mount Graham itself, part of the Pinaleño range, rises to about 10,470 feet and is ecologically and culturally significant, sacred to the Western Apache people.

Photo Credit: Paul W Schulz

Flagstaff, Arizona — recently named Dark Sky Place of the Year by DarkSky International — is the First International Dark-Sky City in the world (designated in 2001) and has achieved unparalleled success in night sky protection. Flagstaff’s night skies have 90% less light pollution than other cities of its size – the Milky Way is visible from nearly everywhere in this city of ~75,000 residents. Flagstaff is also home to Lowell Observatory, where Pluto was discovered and cutting-edge research in astronomy still occur today.

Designated an Urban Dark Sky Place in 2023, Saguaro National Park of Tucson protects the Sonoran Desert’s signature cactuses in vast areas that attract visitors from around the world. The park has spent years reducing human-made light to create a dark space to allow visitors and animals alike to take refuge. The site’s lighting management plan and lighting retrofits made over the years follow DarkSky’s Five Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting.

Photo Credit: Ray Cleveland

Oracle State Park was designated a Dark Sky Park in 2014. Despite its proximity to Tucson, skyglow from the city is blocked by the Santa Catalina Mountains. According to DarkSky International, the park provides a convenient, affordable and authentic dark sky experience.

Photo Credit: Arizona State Parks and Trails

Kitt Peak hosts the largest collection of optical telescopes in the world and is located atop a beautiful mountaintop 56 miles southwest of Tucson. Enjoy daytime guided tours, scenic views, exhibits, and the gift shop. After dark, three different stargazing program show available to meet every interest daily. Evening programs require preregistration.

Whether you're an astronomy enthusiast or just enjoy looking up at the night sky, the Winslow Homolovi Observatory (WHO) is open for solar and star parties. The Moore Telescope (Celestron CGE Pro 14-in. Schmidt-Cassegrain) is computerized with a database of over 40,000 celestial objects and the structure is a donation to Homolovi State Park from members of the Little Colorado River Valley Astronomy Club, the City of Winslow, and local merchants. The observation area has additional telescopes and Hydrogen-alpha light solar telescopes for daytime solar viewing. Astronomy events are held monthly with special programs throughout the year.

Photo Credit and Description: Homolovi State Park

Grand Canyon National Park is not only one of the Seven Wonders of the World, it's also an extraordinary place for stargazing. The park, which was designated a Dark Sky Park in 2016, offers visitors a variety of stargazing events. Mather Point, behind the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, is a fantastic place to stargaze in the South Rim Village. If you're looking to photograph the Milky Way, NPS recommends a visit to the North Rim.

The community of Big Park, also known as the Village of Oak Creek, is an unincorporated place in far northeastern Yavapai County, Arizona that was designated a Dark Sky Community in 2016. Home to slightly over 6,000 people, the Village is a neighboring community to Sedona, a city designated an IDA International Dark Sky Community in 2014.

Managed by the East Valley Astronomy Club, the Gilbert Rotary Centennial Observatory is located in the Gilbert Riparian Preserve next to the Gilbert Library at Greenfield and Guadalupe. The observatory opened in 2006 and the facility was built through private donations and gifted to the Town of Gilbert. The observatory houses a 16” Meade LX200R telescope which is mounted on a Paramount ME German equatorial mount controlled by The Sky Professional computer software for accurate tracking and GOTO operation. Also mounted on the main telescope is a 60mm Lunt solar telescope for viewing the sun in the hydrogen alpha spectrum. The rotating aluminum dome is from Observa-DOME Laboratories and measures 5 meters (16’ 4 1/2 “) in diameter. The observatory regularly offers a variety of astronomy related talks, public star parties and private viewings — check their website for more information and hours.

Photo Credit: Gilbert Rotary Centennial Observatory

The Patterson Observatory, opened in 2004, serves the greater Sierra Vista area. The Patterson Observatory has a 16-foot dome, housing a Ritchey-Chretien telescope of 20” aperture. This telescope is capable of observing objects one million times fainter that the human eye can detect. The University South Foundation owns and maintains the Patterson Observatory and Huachuca Astronomy Club volunteers operate the observatory and host public viewing nights. Public viewing nights are free and family friendly and start about a half hour after sunset. They are weather dependent and are not scheduled during the monsoon months of July and August. Space is limited and guests must register. The observatory is also available by appointment to serve youth, school and community organizations.

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Photo Credit and Description: Patterson Observatory

Designated a Dark Sky Park in 2014, Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument is a remote area tucked in the northwest corner of the Arizona Strip. Parashant is a land of no paved roads, limited structures, four wilderness areas and pristine night skies. To learn more and plan your visit to this remote area click here.

Photo Credit: Bob Wick, BLM