Oxbow is thrilled to announce one of our most anticipated events of the year: Sip & Stargaze returns for its third year on August 12, 2021, from 8pm to 12am. With the farm as a backdrop and the Seattle Astronomical Society on-site to guide guests in the art of observation, the evening promises a heaping helping of Oxbow magic for all.

Why stargazing at Oxbow? One of the guiding principles of our educational programming is to foster a sense of curiosity and wonder; it’s a philosophy that extends beyond children to encompass everyone who visits. Humans are constantly trying to understand our world and our place in it all一 it’s just what humans do一and we’re so delighted to offer a space where curious folks can gather and marvel at the universe together. 

Oxbow at night

During the daylight hours, Oxbow is bustling with the sounds of machinery, excited summer campers, birdsong, and swaying cottonwood trees. But once the sun goes down, the farm hushes and transforms. The chatter of birds gives way to far-off coyote barks and howls, hooting owls, and chirping frogs. On clear nights, the sky truly glitters with endless multitudes of stars. It’s humbling, overwhelming, and beautiful, and it’s a side of Oxbow that visitors rarely get to see. So once a year, usually coinciding with the Perseid Meteor Shower, we open up the farm to share a bit of nighttime magic with our community. 

Being out in the middle of a farm field at night brings the opportunity to pause, observe, and see a familiar place from a new perspective. Plus, it’s just plain fun! There’s nothing that compares to the collective gasp heard from a crowd that’s just spotted the streak of a meteor overhead. 

Help from the experts

A vast, open field with low light pollution一yet still relatively close to the greater Seattle area一 is an amateur astronomer’s dream. So when Oxbow reached out to the Seattle Astronomical Society with an idea for an unforgettable event back in 2018, you might say the response was out of this world. The devoted volunteers at the Seattle Astronomical Society (SAS) have been our enthusiastic celestial tour guides ever since, bringing big telescopes, big energy, and a passion for teaching others about the wonders of the night skies.

August skies at Oxbow

The mid-August night sky holds all sorts of treasures in western Washington. With a little patience (and some high-powered equipment), eager star-seekers might be able to spot spiral galaxies millions of light-years away, Saturn and its rings, and deep-space objects that can’t typically be seen with the naked eye. 

Even without the aid of telescopes, guests will likely see scads of summertime constellations, the nearby Andromeda galaxy, and the Perseid Meteor shower at its peak. This year, the waning crescent moon will dip below the horizon at around 10:30pm, making it easier to spot long meteor tails whizzing across the sky. 

We hope you’ll join us! Get tickets and learn more about Sip & Stargaze.