The monthly stargazing parties are underway at Tecopa Hot Springs Resort every weekend closest to a new moon.

April 24 and 25 stargazers will use a high powered Celestron telescope with a 14 inch mirror to search the skies for star clusters and the nebula, or gas clouds left behind by dying stars and visible as the first expression of a new star being born.

With a powerful telescope, the galaxy becomes more than a white twinkle in a darkened sky and stargazers will get a chance to get up close and personal with the heavens in an area behind the cabins at the resort set aside for the parties.

Pahrump is a small town but it is large enough, and has enough night lighting, to distract from the heavenly detail offered by true darkness. Tecopa has no distractions.

Amy Noel, owner of the Tecopa Hot Springs Resort and catalyst for all things Tecopa, said, "We can see into the galaxy and witness things that are happening tens of thousands of light years away."

Noel started the monthly but seasonal event upon the arrival of astronomers from astrochannels.com who were looking for a warmer climate to gaze into the depths of space.

Noel said she's "learned a lot from them" and uses her knowledge to narrate the event.

Participants won't have to take turns looking through one telescope. The viewing is simulcast by a live video feed onto a screen enabling the audience to express "ohhhs" and "ahhhs" in unison.

The recent rains have turned the desert green.

Go ahead of the party and enjoy the scenery, a meal at Pastels Bistro or peruse the Tecopa Basin Artist's Gallery (TBAG).

Should stargazers arrive after dark or get side-tracked by other activities, there is a lighted path and signs leading to the viewing area behind the cabins.

Bringing a lawn chair or blanket is suggested as seating is informal. Coolers and alcoholic beverages are permitted.

Personal telescopes are welcome.

Call 760-852-4420 for more information and directions.