A panoramic photo of the Okie-Tex Star Party campsite with the Milky Way overhead. [PHOTO PROVIDED BY ANDREW FRYHOVER]

KENTON — Dave Cotterell drove for 23 hours from his home in Toronto, Canada, to a remote canyon in the tip of the Oklahoma Panhandle.

Allan Wade and his son flew 10,000 miles from their native Australia. Others came from Maine, Florida, California and at least 20 other states. They camped, brought recreational vehicles or found spots in bunkhouses. Through the week, they endured hot days and sometimes chilling nights, plus two thunderstorms.

What united them was a love of amateur astronomy and a desire to spend a week under some of the darkest skies in America at the 34th annual Okie-Tex Star Party, sponsored by the Oklahoma City Astronomy Club.

“Last year, one of the major astronomy magazines rated Okie-Tex as one of the eight best anywhere,” said Mike Dennis, one of the party organizers. “We are almost always in the top 10.” For the 2017 edition, held at Camp Billy Joe at Kenton from Sept. 16-23, just over 500 amateur astronomers signed up for a week of stargazing, lectures and fellowship.