Goat Mountain Astronomical Research Station

In the high desert near Landers, California, about 15 miles north of Joshua Tree, the Goat Mountain Astronomical Research Station, known as GMARS, gives amateur astronomers a genuinely dark sky within reach of Southern California.

About Goat Mountain Astronomical Research Station

GMARS is operated by the non-profit Riverside Astronomical Society on a 10-acre desert property that includes two houses, a workshop, and no fewer than 14 individual observatories built by members. The site also offers more than 20 observing pads wired with AC power, plus parking for cars and RVs and dedicated camping areas.

Location & getting there

The station sits in the California high desert near Landers, in the North America region, close to Joshua Tree National Park. Its distance from Los Angeles keeps skies dark, with a sky quality rated around magnitude 6 to 6.5, though a light dome from the LA basin is still visible to the southwest.

Visiting Goat Mountain Astronomical Research Station

GMARS hosts monthly star parties timed to new moon weekends, open to members and visiting astronomers alike. Check the Riverside Astronomical Society's website for the current schedule before making the trip out to the desert.

See your named star from here

With 14 observatories and dozens of powered observing pads under some of Southern California's darkest skies, GMARS is built for exactly this. If you've named a star with Star Register, bring its coordinates along and set up on one of the pads to find it. Browse the star catalogue to find yours.