From: LARRY KLAES (ljk4_at_msn.com)
Date: Wed Jun 25 2008 - 07:47:40 PDT
World’s best places to see the stars
Truly dark night skies are rare — where to find the best views in the galaxy
Cherry Springs State Park, Pa., is a 48-acre park heralded by stargazers as
one of the best locations to see a pristine night sky, which includes a view
of the Milky Way Galaxy's nucleus.
By Rebecca Ruiz
Updated 3:37 p.m. ET, Tues., June. 24, 2008
The night sky is disappearing before our eyes. The thousands of stars once
visible to the naked eye are now obscured by the glare of industrial light
and the haze of pollution. This is particularly true in the U.S. and Europe,
where light researchers estimate that a child born today in either region
has a one in 10 chance of witnessing a truly dark sky.
Though most people will insist they have seen this dazzling spectacle, dark
skies as nature intended them are rare. City dwellers, for example, usually
glimpse fewer than 500 stars. In the most undisturbed areas, some 15,000
stars are on display as is the sprawling Milky Way. Stargazers under this
kind of night sky might see 30 or more meteors per hour.
"You can no longer just take a short drive from the city and look at the
Milky Way or the northern lights," says Chad Moore, a board director for the
International Dark-Sky Association, a Tucson-based nonprofit organization.
"Now it's quite an endeavor to find those dark places."
Full article here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25287818/
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.6 : Wed Jun 25 2008 - 09:06:21 PDT