Twilight on the high desert floor

The last of the daylight and the first of the stars, on the open desert floor near Joshua Tree, California. A yucca and the low desert scrub in front catch a warm red and gold light, while a stand of Joshua trees and a granite boulder ridge fall into silhouette under a clear blue sky.

This is the hour the night sky over Joshua Tree starts to fill in. Dry air, wide open ground and very little town light are the reason The Joshua Tree Crater Company works from here, and the reason the stars come out this quickly once the Sun is down.