Clear, dark sky puts Cedar Breaks on starry list

BY HENRY BREAN LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL he darkness is spreading, and it’s cause for celebration.

Utah’s Cedar Breaks National Monument, about 200 miles northeast of Las Vegas, has joined the ranks of places recognized for their clear, star-filled night skies.

The monument was named Thursday as the nation’s 16th International Dark Sky Park, a status that places it alongside other starry wonderlands such as Death Valley National Park in California and Nevada, Grand Canyon National Park and Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument in Arizona and Capitol Reef and Canyonlands national parks in Utah.

Great Basin National Park in eastern Nevada joined the list in May 2016, thanks to night-

Ttime conditions that experts say approach what the sky looked like before the invention of the electric light. The Cedar Breaks designation by the International Dark-Sky Association, a Tucson, Arizona, nonprofit that fights light pollution, came after a review of satellite data, on-theground light measurements and other factors.

Utah is now home to seven International Dark Sky Parks, more than any other state or province.

Cedar Breaks plans to celebrate its new status with a public “star party” 7-10 p.m. March 18 in the Navajo Lodge at nearby Brian Head Resort. The event at about 10,000 feet above sea level will feature a short talk on dark skies and astronomy, telescope viewings, warm beverages and activities for kids.