How to Find and Evaluate a Dark Sky Site
Chart the quality of your local sky., Find the light level in your area., Find an area that is at minimum green, preferably blue on the atlas., Travel to the site., When you get there, do the star test again., Enjoy the night sky!
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Chart the quality of your local sky.
This can be done by taking an index card, folding it in half, and cutting a square out.
Hold it an arm's length away and count the number of stars inside it.
This number will be your guide to how much light pollution there is.
Write it on the side of the card for future reference.
Watch the clouds.
Clouds should not glow orange at night.
Black clouds, almost like holes, indicate a great sky.
Check the weather forecast for a clear sky and for geomagnetic storms.
During solar storms, auroras may come down south, and the air glow may become strikingly intense.
If you live near the Northern Lights, solar storms can cause the light show to be spectacular. -
Step 2: Find the light level in your area.
This can be done by going to http://www.lightpollution.it/dmsp/ and looking at the atlases featured on the left.
Use The World Atlas of Artificial Light Sky Brightness as a guide to a site.
Remember what color zone you are in. , From these areas, you will see significant improvement over a city sky.
Try traveling to a local campground in a green/blue area, because the park rangers will be able to help you get around if you get lost. , Take the back roads because they can lead you to even better sites, but don't get lost! Have a map or GPS to guide you.
When you find the site, make sure to stay away from bright lights, as this can ruin your night vision. , If you don't see much of an improvement in the star count, go back out searching and try again.
But you'll most likely see over 10 times as many stars in a good site.
Let your eyes adapt to the dark.
Stay away from lights for 20 minutes and let your eyes do the magic.
Get as far away as possible from roads. , Search for satellites, watch meteors as they streak across the sky, and catch a glimpse of the zodiacal light or air glow.
Take optical aid.
A small telescope or binoculars will do.
You'll be surprised at the wonders the sky has to offer.
Try searching for the zodiacal light after sunset, which follows the sun's path across the sky.
Later at night, the gegenschein and green air glow will be visible overhead.
If you're lucky, you may be able to see all eight planets with binoculars, and possibly a few asteroids.
There are many tablet device apps and cell phone apps on astronomy that help you to pinpoint the night sky.
Make sure that you're device is fully charged and use this app to help you to locate features in the night sky. -
Step 3: Find an area that is at minimum green
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Step 4: preferably blue on the atlas.
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Step 5: Travel to the site.
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Step 6: When you get there
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Step 7: do the star test again.
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Step 8: Enjoy the night sky!
Detailed Guide
This can be done by taking an index card, folding it in half, and cutting a square out.
Hold it an arm's length away and count the number of stars inside it.
This number will be your guide to how much light pollution there is.
Write it on the side of the card for future reference.
Watch the clouds.
Clouds should not glow orange at night.
Black clouds, almost like holes, indicate a great sky.
Check the weather forecast for a clear sky and for geomagnetic storms.
During solar storms, auroras may come down south, and the air glow may become strikingly intense.
If you live near the Northern Lights, solar storms can cause the light show to be spectacular.
This can be done by going to http://www.lightpollution.it/dmsp/ and looking at the atlases featured on the left.
Use The World Atlas of Artificial Light Sky Brightness as a guide to a site.
Remember what color zone you are in. , From these areas, you will see significant improvement over a city sky.
Try traveling to a local campground in a green/blue area, because the park rangers will be able to help you get around if you get lost. , Take the back roads because they can lead you to even better sites, but don't get lost! Have a map or GPS to guide you.
When you find the site, make sure to stay away from bright lights, as this can ruin your night vision. , If you don't see much of an improvement in the star count, go back out searching and try again.
But you'll most likely see over 10 times as many stars in a good site.
Let your eyes adapt to the dark.
Stay away from lights for 20 minutes and let your eyes do the magic.
Get as far away as possible from roads. , Search for satellites, watch meteors as they streak across the sky, and catch a glimpse of the zodiacal light or air glow.
Take optical aid.
A small telescope or binoculars will do.
You'll be surprised at the wonders the sky has to offer.
Try searching for the zodiacal light after sunset, which follows the sun's path across the sky.
Later at night, the gegenschein and green air glow will be visible overhead.
If you're lucky, you may be able to see all eight planets with binoculars, and possibly a few asteroids.
There are many tablet device apps and cell phone apps on astronomy that help you to pinpoint the night sky.
Make sure that you're device is fully charged and use this app to help you to locate features in the night sky.
About the Author
Alexander Palmer
A passionate writer with expertise in organization topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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