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Dark Skies & Astronomy in Southwest New Mexico

Casitas de Gila Guests will delight in some of the darkest skies remaining in the continental United States!

Secluded, dark, light-pollution-free, clear skies

Situated 30 miles from Silver City, on the edge of the Gila Wilderness, Casitas de Gila Guesthouses has Bortle Class 1 skies, which are the darkest skies found in the continental United States. (Have a look at the Light Pollution Map for our location and see for yourself!) As a guest at the Casitas you will be awed by the Milky Way, mesmerized by the Moon, thrilled by the Planets, and humbled by the unbelievable number of Stars which soar above your Casita almost every night of the year.

Have you ever seen the Andromeda Galaxy or the Great Nebula in Orion or the Beehive Star Cluster with your naked eye? At the Casitas you can see these and more. Without question the darkness and clarity of the Casita nighttime sky is a special treat that, unfortunately, is all too rare today. For some of our older guests, it’s a view of the heavens that hasn’t been seen since childhood. For our younger guests, it’s a view they may be seeing for the first time and will remember forever.

Star charts and spotting scope

Each Casita has a tripod-mounted 18-36 power spotting scope which can be used at night to get a closer look at the heavens. Star clusters, the moons of Jupiter, and the craters of the Old Man in the Moon himself are easily viewable and readily enjoyed from right in front of your Casita.

Forgotten your constellations? The easy-to-use the star charts in your Casita will quickly refresh your memory. Should you have questions about the skies, Michael will be pleased to try and answer them

Set-up sites and power available for guests who wish to bring their own equipment

Guests who have their own astronomy equipment and are looking for dark skies with comfortable lodging in interesting surroundings will enjoy a stay at Casitas de Gila Guesthouses. We have found, too, that non-astronomy-oriented partners are particularly happy at Casitas de Gila because of the variety of relaxing activities and interesting places to visit nearby.

We have a dedicated astronomy area, a bit away from the Casitas so that there’s no light interference. There are 5 concrete pads available for the use of our guests, with electric power running to each of them. Our astronomy site is also equipped with WiFi. Many of our guests who bring their own equipment and are interested in astrophotography have been very pleased, both with the set up as well as with the quality of astronomical photography that can be done here.

The best and most dependable months for good viewing are late September thru May. Winter months are excellent, with some spectacular celestial objects available. Temperatures will drop well below freezing after midnight in the winter, so come prepared with warm clothing. There’s WiFi at our astronomy site, allowing you to monitor your equipment from your casita if you are set up that way.

The monsoon rains that occur between June and early September make for often cloudy Summer skies with less dependable viewing.

We recommend that during the day you use a reflective cover over your equipment, to protect against dust and the heat of the sun.

For astronomers and astrophotographers who use Planetarium software, here is our location:

32.964 N 108.529 W

Here's how the skies over Casitas de Gila are looking for the next three days:

The Clear Dark Sky website will tell you how to read this chart.