You've have made me homesick (as I have been out of the US for a year now). Some how we've missed the observatory at Chaco. Or maybe it just wasn't open when we were there. Not sure is Organ Pipe NP is a dark sky park, but we went to a night program there once when they had a pretty big portable telescope.
Thanks for reminding me how much I love our National Parks.
Glad you liked the post! Yes, I agree, the National Parks are the best! The Chaco observatory is rarely open, so I'm not surprised you missed it. It's right near the Visitor Center. Organ Pipe NP is pretty dark, too, great place to camp; glad you went to a night program, they are so much fun! :)
I spent hours looking up to the sky at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Thank you for drawing attention to the beauty of our national parks at night.
The sky must've been wonderful at the North Rim! I feel it's darker (and overall much quieter during the day) than the South Rim. We tend to go to the South Rim more often because of proximity, but prefer the North Rim overall. Thank you for reading and interacting!
Wow!! There are so many beautiful National Parks to visit. Here it is quite dark at night (nowhere near as dark as in a National Park though) and we can see lots of stars. There was one night last June when the night sky was especially awe-striking, but usually the sky is too hazy to see lots of stars. Any chance I get to observe celestial bodies, I take, for the sky is truly amazing. There is a quite what I would like to share with everyone: "Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground." from Helen Keller. I love that quote, for when I look up at the sky I not only look for stars, but anything else that might be up there. You never know what you'll find...
On another note: my Grandmother is on a bus trip at the moment, and they will be headed to the Petrified Forest soon, she can hardly wait. And I can't wait to see her pictures of it!
Thank you for your lovely comment, Szilvia! :) Yes, the skies are way clearer here than in Romania, even though you guys in the village have some of the darkest in the region; at least you don't have light pollution, so even if it's hazy, it's natural. Try going out in the summer when it gets really dry for a week or two at a time, for star watching.
Excited for your Grandmother to see Petrified Forest - and the Southwest, I'm assuming she's traveling through the area. It seems extremely desolate, with barely any vegetation, but beautiful in a different way! Thank you for reading, and have fun outdoors in the spring weather!
I’ve been to several of these parks during the day. My family and I went to Joshua Tre for a few days and hoped to see a starry sky, but it was complete cloud cover. Not a single star! We will have to try again.
Oh wow! It is so rare to have a cloudy sky in the desert, even in Joshua Tree! You experienced it at an unusual time - the good thing about it is the desert is nicer when cloudy (except at night if you are trying to see the stars). Yes, hope you go back another day. Chances of being cloudy again are slim.
It was Christmas week—I think four years ago. The skies were cloudy all day—beautifully so, like a rumpled white comforter covered the entire sky. I tried to take a few photos, but they just looked like a blank white sheet. Had to be there, I guess.
I’ve been fortunate to have visited several of these but mostly during the day. I live in the northeast so I’m pretty jealous of all these beautiful parks you have access to and the additional benefit of having much better views of the stars.
Glad you got to visit some of these parks :) They are all gorgeous during the day! Nighttime just adds another layer to their beauty. I know we are so lucky to live within driving distance from them, though some are just far enough to warrant overnight stays. I started stargazing because the skies are so clear here. You guys have some clear skies up in the northeast, too, but I know not as many... (We moved here from NJ). Thank you for reading and interacting!
Thank you, Rachel! :) I am indeed fortunate to be close to them, and love visiting them. I believe establishing the National Parks was one of the best ideas in the US.
Wow Emese! What incredible journeys you have been on! And love that you two are astronomers - and made your own telescopes! And the Dark Sky Parks -- what a wonderful way to view the night skies. The Milky Way. So so gorgeous to view in total darkness. Also love your photos, especially Zion and Wupatki. But they are all stellar - pun intended for those glorious night skies ): Cool post for sure!!
Thank you, Jeanine! :) Yes, Jeff got me hooked on a few things, besides the Maya; it was quite fun to make those telescopes. We never fully finished Jeff's since the mirror was larger and the finished scope would've been huge! Stargazing is so fun! And he was teaching me about all the constellations! Yes, the parks are some of the best places for stargazing! The Zion photo was so fun to take - because I noticed the perfect time to do it - one of the few good photos I took (most of them are Jeff's). Glad you enjoyed the post! :)
You've have made me homesick (as I have been out of the US for a year now). Some how we've missed the observatory at Chaco. Or maybe it just wasn't open when we were there. Not sure is Organ Pipe NP is a dark sky park, but we went to a night program there once when they had a pretty big portable telescope.
Thanks for reminding me how much I love our National Parks.
Glad you liked the post! Yes, I agree, the National Parks are the best! The Chaco observatory is rarely open, so I'm not surprised you missed it. It's right near the Visitor Center. Organ Pipe NP is pretty dark, too, great place to camp; glad you went to a night program, they are so much fun! :)
I spent hours looking up to the sky at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Thank you for drawing attention to the beauty of our national parks at night.
The sky must've been wonderful at the North Rim! I feel it's darker (and overall much quieter during the day) than the South Rim. We tend to go to the South Rim more often because of proximity, but prefer the North Rim overall. Thank you for reading and interacting!
Wow!! There are so many beautiful National Parks to visit. Here it is quite dark at night (nowhere near as dark as in a National Park though) and we can see lots of stars. There was one night last June when the night sky was especially awe-striking, but usually the sky is too hazy to see lots of stars. Any chance I get to observe celestial bodies, I take, for the sky is truly amazing. There is a quite what I would like to share with everyone: "Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground." from Helen Keller. I love that quote, for when I look up at the sky I not only look for stars, but anything else that might be up there. You never know what you'll find...
On another note: my Grandmother is on a bus trip at the moment, and they will be headed to the Petrified Forest soon, she can hardly wait. And I can't wait to see her pictures of it!
Thank you for this beautiful post!
Thank you for your lovely comment, Szilvia! :) Yes, the skies are way clearer here than in Romania, even though you guys in the village have some of the darkest in the region; at least you don't have light pollution, so even if it's hazy, it's natural. Try going out in the summer when it gets really dry for a week or two at a time, for star watching.
Excited for your Grandmother to see Petrified Forest - and the Southwest, I'm assuming she's traveling through the area. It seems extremely desolate, with barely any vegetation, but beautiful in a different way! Thank you for reading, and have fun outdoors in the spring weather!
I’ve been to several of these parks during the day. My family and I went to Joshua Tre for a few days and hoped to see a starry sky, but it was complete cloud cover. Not a single star! We will have to try again.
Oh wow! It is so rare to have a cloudy sky in the desert, even in Joshua Tree! You experienced it at an unusual time - the good thing about it is the desert is nicer when cloudy (except at night if you are trying to see the stars). Yes, hope you go back another day. Chances of being cloudy again are slim.
It was Christmas week—I think four years ago. The skies were cloudy all day—beautifully so, like a rumpled white comforter covered the entire sky. I tried to take a few photos, but they just looked like a blank white sheet. Had to be there, I guess.
Sounds beautiful! We love cloudy days; glad you experienced it. Cloudless skies, maybe next time.
I’ve been fortunate to have visited several of these but mostly during the day. I live in the northeast so I’m pretty jealous of all these beautiful parks you have access to and the additional benefit of having much better views of the stars.
Glad you got to visit some of these parks :) They are all gorgeous during the day! Nighttime just adds another layer to their beauty. I know we are so lucky to live within driving distance from them, though some are just far enough to warrant overnight stays. I started stargazing because the skies are so clear here. You guys have some clear skies up in the northeast, too, but I know not as many... (We moved here from NJ). Thank you for reading and interacting!
Thanks for speaking up for our National Parks! You’re fortunate to live so close to so many.
Thank you, Rachel! :) I am indeed fortunate to be close to them, and love visiting them. I believe establishing the National Parks was one of the best ideas in the US.
Wow Emese! What incredible journeys you have been on! And love that you two are astronomers - and made your own telescopes! And the Dark Sky Parks -- what a wonderful way to view the night skies. The Milky Way. So so gorgeous to view in total darkness. Also love your photos, especially Zion and Wupatki. But they are all stellar - pun intended for those glorious night skies ): Cool post for sure!!
Thank you, Jeanine! :) Yes, Jeff got me hooked on a few things, besides the Maya; it was quite fun to make those telescopes. We never fully finished Jeff's since the mirror was larger and the finished scope would've been huge! Stargazing is so fun! And he was teaching me about all the constellations! Yes, the parks are some of the best places for stargazing! The Zion photo was so fun to take - because I noticed the perfect time to do it - one of the few good photos I took (most of them are Jeff's). Glad you enjoyed the post! :)