Dark Skies
Aug 8, 2019 09:38:00 #
PaulBrit
Loc: Merlin, Southern Oregon
carney2 wrote:
I spend a lot of time in Maine because of family. To me, it's the gray state, with a seemingly constant cloud cover. When you look at a map the reason seems obvious. Maine sticks out to the east - into the ocean - beyond the rest of New England. It is a collecting point for all of that moisture moving north along the Atlantic coast.
Just been looking at the weather statistics for Maine. An average of 72 in of snow each Winter! Very different to Southern Oregon!
Aug 8, 2019 10:39:44 #
W9OD
Loc: Wisconsin
We have made a few trips to Montana, stayed at a guest ranch. The view was unbelievable. Did not realize that God put that many stars in the sky.
Aug 8, 2019 10:55:12 #
Kingman wrote:
The wonder and beauty of seeing the Milky Way should be cherished for all humans. It can and should be a humbling experience for all human to witnesses our own Milky Way!
And equally humbling, to me, is to ponder the God that created it all!
Aug 8, 2019 11:35:14 #
Kingman wrote:
It’s a matter of safety and the science of astronomy. In designated “dark” skies areas you can have both. The wonder and beauty of seeing the Milky Way should be cherished for all humans. It can and should be a humbling experience for all human to witnesses our own Milky Way!
I propose that the lights in NYC be turned off for one night a month. Let the people appreciate Nature.
Aug 8, 2019 11:36:09 #
PaulBrit wrote:
Just been looking at the weather statistics for Maine. An average of 72 in of snow each Winter! Very different to Southern Oregon!
You get more than that?!
Aug 8, 2019 11:40:22 #
Probably still too much air pollution in NYC area. But it’d be interesting...during a blackout.
Aug 8, 2019 13:51:07 #
Are you saying you can't see the milky way outside of these places?
Aug 8, 2019 15:05:58 #
Fotoartist wrote:
Are you saying you can't see the milky way outside of these places?
Not at all just the darker the better
Aug 8, 2019 15:14:17 #
jerryc41 wrote:
Times Square, in Manhattan, would not be the best ... (show quote)
Cherry Spring State Park in Pennsylvania is an official "Dark Sky" area. Not sure why the map you put up did not include it. Here is a link to the website for Cherry Springs.
https://cherryspringsstatepark.com/stargazing/
https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/CherrySpringsStatePark/Pages/default.aspx
Another East Coast Site, formerly called the Blue Ridge Observatory and Star Park is in North Carolina.
https://www.darksky.org/our-work/conservation/idsp/parks/mayland/
Another site is the Staunton River State Park in Virginia.
https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/blog/staunton-river-state-park-is-named-international-dark-sky-park
All three of these are listed as International Dark Sky Park's by the International Dark-Sky Association, (IDA).
The East Coast sites may not be quite as dark as the sites in the western part of the country, but they do provide alternatives for those on the East Coast that may not live in the west, or able to travel.
Aug 8, 2019 15:22:51 #
Just spent a week out at Lake Powell and the stars and Milky Way were magnificent!!
Aug 8, 2019 16:21:54 #
Fotoartist wrote:
Are you saying you can't see the milky way outside of these places?
In these areas, the sky is darker, and you can see more stars, etc. Of course, it was Edwin Hubble who discovered that many of the "stars" we see are actually galaxies, containing billions of stars.
Aug 8, 2019 16:49:30 #
PaulBrit
Loc: Merlin, Southern Oregon
jerryc41 wrote:
You get more than that?!
Not since we have been living here; now 7 years.
Aug 8, 2019 17:15:47 #
web address for the International Dark Sky Association: www.darksky.org
Lots of info about light pollution. Safety and dark skys are NOT in conflict. There are ways of lighting that keep you safe and do not pollute the sky.
Lots of info about light pollution. Safety and dark skys are NOT in conflict. There are ways of lighting that keep you safe and do not pollute the sky.
Aug 8, 2019 17:37:11 #
Yup. There's a reason why the astronomers build Observatories in remote places, away from bright city lights.
Aug 8, 2019 18:55:38 #
You can get a lot more than what is shown when in Colorado. At my place, above FairPlay, we get such clear night skies that you need a flashlight just to navigate outside. We are dead center in the state at 10,600 ft. I am not into night sky photography, but I do enjoy just viewing the stars without the city lights intrusion. And we have many more like this throughout the state, except the areas that have been overrun by transplants who bring their big city culture with them.
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