International Dark Sky Week is April 13-20 this year. People across the globe go outside with friends, family and neighbors to celebrate the natural beauty of a moonless night. The theme this year is “Go Dark,” so turn off your exterior lights and take in the starry sky.
I know of a few neighborhood star parties planned here in Pagosa Springs. Why not host your own gathering during International Dark Sky Week?
A good place to meet is in a cul-de-sac or nearby parking lot. It costs nothing to turn off your outdoor lights, take a flashlight (red light preferred) and meet your neighbors outside under the stars.
Bundle up, share some hot chocolate and allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness, which takes 20-30 minutes.
You are encouraged to talk to one another about reducing light pollution by ensuring all outdoor lights are useful, targeted, low-level, controlled and warm-colored. Understanding the negative effects of artificial light at night on wildlife, ecosystems, human health and our ability to see the stars fosters a sense of community pride in preserving the rural character of our town. Every light alters the night. Even what seem like small actions taken by individuals makes a difference. Learn more at DarkSky.org.
Sunset is at 7:40 p.m., with dark night beginning at 9:15pm.
Pagosa Sidewalk Astronomers is hosting gatherings on two nights —Thursday, April 16, and Friday, April 17, in the overflow parking lot of the Pagosa Lakes Property Owners Association Recreation Center from 8:30 to 9:45 p.m. Walk or drive over and join us. We’ll have a telescope out so you can view the cosmos.
Star party goers can bring binoculars and use them to look at the night sky.
A pair of binoculars increases the number of stars you can see from about 1,000 or 2,000 (with the naked eye) to more than 10,000.
Don’t forget to download and print a free sky map from www.skymaps.com or, if you prefer, a free mobile planetarium app such as Stellarium.
Then, do some hunting in the night sky to identify constellations, planets and even deep-sky objects such as star clusters, nebulae and galaxies.
Maybe you’d like to do some citizen science and log your observations at GlobeAtNight.org.
The beautiful winter constellations Orion and Canis Major are setting in the west as Virgo and Leo join us to the east. Cancer, which contains the spectacular Beehive Cluster, is high overhead to the south. Can you find the Beehive Cluster with binoculars? Jupiter is still bright and high in Gemini to the southwest, and you may be able to see its four large moons using binoculars. Get outside and enjoy.
We’d love to see pictures from your star party on our Pagosa Sidewalk Astronomers Facebook group. Visit pagosasidewalkastronomers.org to see our event calendar or subscribe to our emails.
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