Can you find the Big and Little Dipper in this photo?! With so many stars visible in the sky it, can actually make spotting constellations more difficult. Check the comments for the reveal...
We are very fortunate to have excellent levels of natural darkness in City of Rocks. The sky here is bursting with stars thanks to minimal levels of light pollution in this rural area. Most people living in the world today have a restricted view of the stars caused by artificial lighting. In fact most people can't see the Milky Way Galaxy from where they live and will never get to experience the wonder of seeing it with their own eyes.
To help preserve our exceptional starry skies, City of Rocks doesn't use artificial lighting in the Reserve and the lights at our admin buildings and overnight facilities have been upgraded to dark-sky-friendly fixtures. When visiting City of Rocks overnight you can help by limiting your light use at night, especially excessively bright light that points up toward the sky or affects people around you.
Join us on September 2nd for an outdoor screening of the movie "Saving the Dark" at the Visitor Center lawn! Check our events for more details.
To learn more about stargazing and experiencing the dark skies of City of Rocks visit https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/explore-the-night-sky.htm
Original source can be found here.
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