LOOK UP: LAAS Turned Stargazing Into a Movement
On an ordinary Thursday night in Silverlake (Los Angeles), a line of telescopes glows beneath string lights as jazz drifts through the air. People of all ages and backgrounds gather, the chatter electric yet calm—an atmosphere of shared, grounded wonder.
This is Star Party, and at the center of it all are Los Angeles Astronomical Society (LAAS) member Bobby Cabbagestalk, LAAS president Keith Armstrong, and other members of the 100-year-old organization—a group on a quiet mission to connect people with the celestial wonders of the night sky.
“I grew up in a very astronomically inclined family,” Bobby says. “My mother took me out one night, like two o’clock in the morning on my birthday, to see a meteor shower. That moment kind of stuck with me.”
That seed of curiosity—a mother and son watching the night sky in Buffalo, New York—would eventually spark something much bigger. Years later, after moving to Los Angeles, Bobby was walking home from the grocery store when he happened upon a group of guys with telescopes set up.
“I saw the tech they had, and I immediately didn’t think it was meant for everybody,” he recalls. “I remember that feeling of curiosity, like, what are you guys doing?”
He soon learned they were members of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society (LAAS) and was inspired by the fact that they were simply out there, open to anyone who wanted to look up.
“I came back the next week,” he says. “I told them, ‘I’m going to join the LAAS—but I want to introduce this to as many people as I possibly can. Can I invite my friends?’”
They said yes. Bobby laughs, remembering what happened next: “Keith, President of LAAS, drastically underestimated the amount of friends that I have.”
Within a week, more than 200 people showed up.
From Curiosity to Community
At its heart, Star Party is simple—telescopes, music, people. But Bobby saw the potential for something bigger: an antidote to isolation in a city that often feels disconnected.
“I realized people are craving human touch,” he says. “There’s an element of escapism. There’s community. There’s wild curiosity. There’s no judgment. And LA can sometimes fall into that stereotype of being so sceney, everything’s fragmented. But here, everybody comes. All ages, all types of people. This melting pot just began to form, and it kept growing and growing.”
That mix of spontaneity and inclusivity is what makes the experience feel so inviting. A family might be peering through a telescope while a couple on a date listens to live jazz nearby. Someone else might just be walking home from dinner and stumble into the plaza, drawn by the music and the crowd looking skyward.
“We usually have about eight to ten telescopes,” Bobby explains. “Each one points at something different—the moon, Saturn, a nebula, a galaxy. People freak out most about the moon and seeing a nebula. We also soundtrack the night with live musicianship. I lean into the jazz bands around LA. It’s an opportunity to showcase talented musicians and let them engage the crowd too.”
He curates every detail—eats, drinks, atmosphere—with intention. “I’m trying to surprise and over-deliver,” he says. “A lot of people come by themselves and end up meeting new friends. I’m trying to create that environment where people want to come back and bring others.”
The Meaning of ‘Looking Up’
When asked what community means to him, Bobby doesn’t hesitate. “Community is creating room to learn from other people and seeing the value in different ways of life,” he says. “We’re all packed on top of each other, but we shuffle ourselves into silos and forget. The whole purpose of us being on this little dirt rock in the middle of space is to absorb and learn from other people.”
For Bobby, that connection between the night sky and the human spirit is more than metaphor. “Everyone can relate to seeing something in the night sky,” he says. “The diversity of the night sky reflects the diversity of the people around us. No two astral bodies are alike, even though they’re all made of the same elements. It’s the same with people—we’re all made up of the same stuff, just arranged differently.”
That poetic sense of unity shows up in everything he does—from the handmade star cards he gives to kids, to the way he collaborates with local artists and small businesses.
That spirit of collaboration has become a defining part of Star Party. Bobby wanted to create an ecosystem that went beyond stargazing, one that brought together makers and creators who shared the same spark of curiosity and creativity. He works with local illustrators to design the event flyers, invites jazz musicians to soundtrack the night, and partners with brands (like RIVR) he’s genuinely a fan of. It’s all part of his effort to grow and sustain a collaborative community that feels as alive as the sky above it.
If You Build It, They’ll Come
Star Party now takes place on the third Thursday of every month at Sunset Triangle Plaza in Los Angeles, with a bigger, music-filled gathering once a month, usually around the new moon when the sky is at its darkest. Completely free and open to the public, these events are thriving, drawing stargazers of all ages.
“People will be on dates or leaving dinner, and they just walk up off the street and see a gathering of people,” Bobby says. “That’s how it starts. The location’s perfect.”
When asked what he’d say to anyone feeling disconnected or looking for community, Bobby pauses. His answer feels like the thesis of everything he’s built:
“Community is something you have to pursue and build and grow,” he says. “It might not always fall into your lap, but the reward is the connections you make. COVID changed everyone’s social habits. People got connected to the internet but disconnected from real life. You’ll never get penalized for pursuing connection and community. The work is always worth it.”
He smiles. “Try new things. That’s what life is about.”
A Night Worth Remembering
For many who come to Star Party, the most surprising thing isn’t how big the universe is—it’s how small the barriers are to belonging.
“The goal is to remove the barriers of entry to looking at the night sky,” Bobby says. “It’s not expensive. It’s not difficult to learn. Once you meet other people who can help you, the learning curve gets cut in half. The enthusiasm makes the night special.”
That enthusiasm, he says, is contagious. “People are surprised how much they learn, and how passionate the members are. They’re patient, dedicated, enthusiastic. It takes a special kind of person to teach something that complicated in a simple way.”
If the comments on Star Party’s Instagram are any clue, the excitement is spreading fast. People post, tag friends, share flyers, and ask strangers to join them under the stars. “I haven’t seen that with anything else,” Bobby says. “People say, ‘This is finally happening—let’s celebrate my birthday here!’ Or, ‘Can someone come with me? I don’t know anybody.’ And people respond. That’s really special.”
What started as one person’s curiosity has become a constellation of community—hundreds of people gathering not just to see the stars, but to remember they belong among them.