MERRITT RESERVOIR — Nebraska lacks majestic mountains and scenic ocean views, but it has something few states possess — heavenly, dark night skies.

Last week, more than 380 stargazers from across the country gathered along this remote reservoir to peer into the cosmos at the 28th annual Nebraska Star Party.

It’s among half a dozen “star parties” of its size in the country, and the main attraction is the lack of light pollution in this part of Cherry County, a sparsely settled grassland area known for its treeless vistas of sandhills and widely scattered ranches. There are 50 times more cattle than people.

The party is held on moonless nights at a campground about 30 miles from the nearest town, Valentine, far from any streetlights. On cloudless nights, the Milky Way is so bright that it creates shadows on the hilltops and campground roads where clusters of people gather around telescopes.

This year’s turnout was slightly higher than in the past, possibly because the Nebraska Star Party was the first major stargazing event resumed after the pandemic canceled star parties in 2020, said John Johnson, a retired nuclear engineer from Omaha who helps run the event. The smoky haze from wildfires in the West obscured some stars near the horizons, he said, but overhead, the viewing was excellent on Wednesday night after some clouds moved out.

By 11 p.m., you could barely see your own hand in front of your face. But through the darkness, you could hear conversations as people gathered around telescopes. Dim, red lights illuminated some of the equipment. Occasionally, a laser beam shot into the sky, helping aim equipment at distant nebulae, 10 to 20 million light-years away.

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