SHANGRALA'S
STARGAZING
IN
THE
USA!
It's very difficult to admire and appreciate the beauty of the stars, planets,
and nebulas of the night sky from home, as these grand heavenly bodies are
partially or fully obscured by city lights. We need to get away from the city
and travel to remote areas to see the night sky in its full glory.
Some Of The Best US Night Sky Views! Enjoy! :)
Mauna Kea is a 13,803 ft (4,207-meter) tall volcano located on the Big Island
of Hawaii. It is the highest point in the entire state and the location of
the biggest and most advanced astronomical observatory in the world. According
to astronomers, the dormant volcano offers the prime stargazing experience
on the planet thanks to virtually no light pollution and crystal clear skies.
After all, Hawaii is located in the middle of the Pacific ocean, and the
island has the perfect climatic conditions for virtually cloud-free and dry
skies all year round.
Image Source.
Devils Tower is an igneous rock formation in northeastern Wyoming, and it's
actually the first United States national monument, established in the
distant 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt. Apart from being a beautiful
place to visit in itself, Devils Tower is also one of the best stargazing
locations in the country, boasting of especially fascinating views of the
Milky Way in the summer.
Fun fact: you may recognize Devils Tower from Steven Spielberg's 1977
masterpiece 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'.
Image Source.
Thanks to its remoteness and landscape, Cherry Springs State Park om Pennsylvania
is considered to be the best stargazing location on the East Coast of the US, it
was even proclaimed an International Dark Sky Park in 2007 - one of the very few
in the country. Despite its relative proximity to human settlements, the
stargazing location is surrounded by the Susquehannock State Forest and set on a
hill that allows a full view of the night sky. Visitors say the park offers a
superior view at the Milky Way, so bright it seems like it casts a shadow, at
times.
At Arches National Park in Moab, Utah, you can get a two in one experience:
on one hand, you'll get to view the unique arch-shaped rock formations seen
only in the park, and on the other hand, you will be able to enjoy some
magnificent night views by camping in the desert. Shooting stars, in
particular, are a common sight year-round.
The Mojave desert in California is home to one of the most unique-looking and
rare trees in the world - Joshua trees, also known as the yucca palm. With
the aim to preserve the strange tree species, the Joshua Tree National Monument
was created in 1936, and it was further redesigned to be a park in 1994. The
clean rocky desert with virtually no air pollution offers an unobscured view
at the night sky, and the park is open 24/7, which made it a favorite location
for stargazers from around the world.
Best of all, when traveling to the park, you'll be able to explore several
hiking trails scattered with the alien-looking yucca palms during the day
and enjoy indescribably beautiful skies at night, especially in the most
remote areas of the park.
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Traveling all the way north, you'll find Denali National Park, a vast Arctic
landscape spanning millions of acres and just one road. Denali National Park
is said to be the best place in the US to witness the northern lights, also
known as the aurora borealis. As you will likely know, auroras are bright-
colored lights that appear in the skies on both poles of the planet as a
result of bursts of energy from the Sun that interact with the Earth's
atmosphere called coronal mass ejections. In Alaska, these fascinating light
displays are best observed in fall or early spring, as winters are extremely
cold and summers are too light, so plan your trip accordingly.
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One of the very few places with a sky dark enough to admire the Milky Way in
its full glory in Massachusetts is Cape Cod. Seasoned stargazers agree that
you'll be able to catch some of the clearest views at the night sky along
the Cape Cod National Seashore, the most remote area located on the Outer
Cape. More specifically, locals recommend Marconi Beach, Chatham Light Beach,
Truro Beach, and Wellfleet Beach for stargazing. Although you can enjoy the
beautiful views of the night sky all year round, stargazers say it's best to
visit Cape Cod outside of the summer tourist season to avoid crowds and
unreasonable prices.
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Another popular stargazing spot in California is Lake Tahoe, the famous winter
sports resort. Throughout the summer months, organized stargazing tours are
available in different spots of the lake. Perfect for beginners and families,
the night sky views of Lake Tahoe will give you a glimpse of Jupiter's moons,
Mars, the rings of Saturn, and other rare sights in the Milky Way.
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The Bosque Del Apache Wildlife Refuge in new Mexico is home to a colony of
thousands of snow geese, and no lights are allowed there so as not to stir
or frighten birds. There are hundreds of other bird species in the park,
too, with the crowd favorite being the Sandhill crane, the migration of
which is a real holiday event in the park. Coincidentally, the lack of light
also makes the wildlife preserve a prime location for stargazing, accompanied
by the unique view of thousands of birds. Fall is the best season to witness
a huge variety of birds, and, of course, the fall meteor showers.
Image Source.
The Grand Canyon is even more beautiful at night when the bright night sky
scattered with thousands of stars lights up the rugged cliffs and the Colorado
river glimmers like a silver snake in the distance. But the geological
brilliance of the canyon isn't the only attraction here at night, as since 2016,
the lighting in the Grand Canyon Village was adjusted to be dark sky-friendly,
and since 2019, it was proclaimed an International Dark Sky Park. Now visitors
are able to catch some magnificent sky views (and photos!) from both the North
and South rims of the canyon.
Image Source.
Share And WOW Your Stargazer Friends! :)
SEE ALSO: Astronomy Photo Winners!-
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Science 2024 Breakthroughs!-
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A-Z Animated Picture Images!-
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