Lava Beds National Monument to become Dark Sky Preserve

[XemaSab]

Coming to a national monument (relatively) close to you: exquisite blackness.

Lava Beds National Monument is in to process of becoming a Dark Sky Preserve.

The 46,560-acre monument about 155 miles north of Redding has begun work with the National Park Service's Dark Sky Team and the International Dark-Sky Association to make sure anyone who likes to look at the night skies won't have to put up with a lot of light pollution.

http://www.redding.com/news/2007/sep/23/lava-beds-national-monument-to-become-dark-sky/

[global1]

1. Oh - I Get It - For A Minute There I Thought This Had Something To Do With Cheney.....nt

[NYVet]

2. that is one thing I miss about being in the middle of town.

I can't sit outside and just watch the stars at night like I used to be able to do.

[bananas]

3. Live webcam

http://www.nps.gov/archive/labe/content/webcam.htm

[XemaSab]

4. How come it's lighter there than here?

:shrug:

[NNadir]

5. K&R. I hate that I have to describe what the Milky Way used to be to my 8 year old.

He has no idea what I'm talking about.

He wants to see it someday.

[NMDemDist2]

6. that's cool! we moved here for dark skies due to hubby's love of astronomy

the Milky Way truly looks like a cloud here in SE NM, live south of that low blue spot on this map of night lights from a satellite

[AlecBGreen]

7. all you astronomy lovers

check out a program called Starry Night. I use it to teach my freshman Earth Science students and it never fails to blow their minds. I learned more from it then any college class.

[NMDemDist2]

10. ha! thanks, that's on the list for hubby's Christmas

:hi:

[depakid]

8. It's a fine location for a star party

Not just dark- but BIG sky and there are tons of other cool things to do around the area.

For my money though, the best place in America to view celestial events like the annual Perseid meteor shower is the rim of Carter Lake.

[seemunkee]

9. That is what I loved about hiking in Death Valley and Capital Reef NP

Not a man made light anywhere and all the stars where visible.