Joshua Tree National Park

A quick desert trip, a bucket-list sky, and a Calder sculpture in Palm Springs.

Joshua Tree had been on my bucket list for a while. We finally went a month ago, kept the visit short, and packed in as much desert as we could.

I’ve always liked deserts, and seeing petroglyphs there makes me think that people have been reading this landscape and its skies for a very long time. The night skies were impressive even without a new moon. I got to use my Dwarf 3 telescope again and captured Barnard 33, the Horsehead Nebula. 🌵🌌

Alexander Calder's Big Red (1959) at the Palm Springs Art Museum Petroglyphs in Joshua Tree National Park Night sky over Joshua Tree National Park Barnard 33, the Horsehead Nebula, from Joshua Tree National Park Morning light in Joshua Tree National Park Joshua Tree National Park, October 2026

On the way back we made an express visit to the Palm Springs Art Museum. I ran into Alexander Calder’s Big Red (1959), and it reminded me of the cover of Introduction to Algorithms turns out it is the same Artist.