Community Forums

FL420 · 04-07-2021, 12:43 AM

Mesa Verde not Mesa Verda [emoji2962]
https://www.outtherecolorado.com/new...826b4.amp.html
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twogypsies · 04-07-2021, 01:20 PM

Well-deserved. Love looking at the sky with minimal lights to ruin the beauty!

FL420 · 04-07-2021, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twogypsies

Well-deserved. Love looking at the sky with minimal lights to ruin the beauty!

As do I![emoji106]
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Charming · 04-08-2021, 07:35 PM

Thanks for sharing. I will be adding ut to our potential trip list. I remember how dark it was at Karchner sp and how amazing the sky was. Indescribable.

mom4m · 04-09-2021, 02:47 PM

One of my favorite memories was a camping trip with our kids about 10 years ago when we stayed at Mesa Verde. Clear night and stars like they had never seen before. It was fabulous.

HighDesert · 04-12-2021, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charming

Thanks for sharing. I will be adding ut to our potential trip list. I remember how dark it was at Karchner sp and how amazing the sky was. Indescribable.

This is in Colorado, not Utah.

twogypsies · 04-12-2021, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HighDesert

This is in Colorado, not Utah.

Actually, Kartchner is in Arizona. We volunteered there and had night star parties for the visitors.

Steve43 · 04-12-2021, 05:14 PM

I believe he was trying to say 'it', not 'UT'. Trew me a loop too!!

Steve43 · 04-12-2021, 05:14 PM

see what auto correction skips!! THREW!

Charming · 04-13-2021, 07:53 AM

True, I can only guess how awesome my typing or should I call it keying? abilities will be when I reach my 70's! My proof reading skills should be even better by then.

It is funny, I avoided adding the state to my post, by the time we reached Karchner I was having issues with time zones and DST (gotta love AZ) to recall which state I was in. I could not decide if Bruce Babbit was governor of AZ or NM. I usually gave up and remembered that Tombstone is in AZ.

Did I mention that I'm the navigator?

TwoGypsies, I will watch for that on our next trip through the area later this year.

astrnmrtom · 04-13-2021, 10:39 PM

Heading there next month.

I wish more parks would go through the trouble. I've been to three dark sky certified parks - Grand Canyon, Kartchner, and Bryce. Of the three Bryce has the best light control. Grand Canyon was the worst in part because of the number of buildings, although view points are very dark - the RV park seemed to not have any restrictions on exterior lights on the RVs staying there. One parking lot was lit with very bright lighting that remained on all night even though the businesses and visitor's center were closed. Kartchner was next. Not many buildings but it had a few issues. They have cabins with unshielded porchlights, large, bright, unshielded wall packs in the restroom entries, and even though they have a strict no outside lights after 8pm policy, they allow rope lights under RVs - even the camp host had them. When I asked why they were allowed in a dark sky certified park, I was told they are ok because they keep away the packrats. The host even told me I could get some at the local Walmart. Kinda' goes against the certification rules. It's too bad because the fixes for Kartchner are pretty simple and cheap. The Grand Canyon is another matter. It's very hard and expensive to retrofit fixtures and control lighting in a place where lots of people are at night. At least they try.

I realize I'm pickier than most, being an amateur astronomer, but I've found that while parks get and advertise the certification, how well they implement, maintain and enforce the rules is variable. Lets hope Mesa Verde does a good job. I still applaud the efforts that these parks make in reducing the impacts of lights, so that people can enjoy a night sky so many of them have never seen.

Attached are a couple photos I took the other night from Sunrise Point in Bryce. Sony a6000, 12mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 1600, 30 second exposure. One is of the Orion area. Note in the center of the Orion photo is a soft glow. This is not light from a distant town, or the cars leaving the parking lot. Its the Zodiacal Light, which is sunlight reflecting off dust in the inner solar system. It takes very dark skies to see, and is usually seen for a few weeks around the equinoxes. Orion is partly in the tree branches. The second is an almost overhead shot of the Big Dipper area. The Dipper is almost standing on it's handle.