Doing It in the Dark
- gregorymaness
- 3 days ago
- 1 min read
The astronomy-themed “Ranger Talk” that I attended one evening earlier this week at Canyonlands National Park was one of the highlights of my recent vacation in Southern Utah. I had almost forgotten how spectacular a night sky full of stars can be and this after having lived in the California desert east of San Diego for a year and having enjoyed the nighttime sky outside of the communities in that part of the country.
The City of Moab and a number of other communities in Utah, as well as national parks in the area, are designated as a International Dark Sky Places by DarkSky International. “DarkSky International restores the nighttime environment and protects communities from the harmful effects of light pollution through outreach, advocacy, and conservation” (https://darksky.org/).
If you ever get the chance to enjoy the night sky in an International Dark Sky Place, particularly on a cloudless night during a new moon or before the moon is visible in the night sky, you absolutely should take advantage of the opportunity. You certainly don’t have to be an astronomer or an astronaut to enjoy the natural spectacle. You can locate an International Dark Sky Place via the DarkSky International website.
DarkSky International website