San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
THE BEST PLACES IN CALIFORNIA FOR CLEAR NIGHT SKIES.
“Twinkle, twinkle little star ... ” From childhood, we humans are drawn to the night sky. But these days, particularly in light-blasted places like the Bay Area, it’s tough to see much more than a handful of halfhearted flickers after dark.
Fortunately, four officially designated International Dark Sky locations in the California desert let you see a head-spinning number of stars, planets, constellations and other celestial dazzlers. To become an official Dark Sky site, locations go through an extensive review and approval process with the nonprofit International Dark Sky Association. Founded in 1988, the association works around the world to reduce light pollution and its harmful impacts. It has chapters in more than 50 countries.
“Light pollution can be very confusing for wildlife, such as bats and owls, which require darkness to hunt and survive,” says Amanda Gormley, the association’s communications director. “Even our own circadian rhythms can be negatively impacted by too much light pollution.”
The association’s efforts include offering public programs and working with city planners, legislators, lighting manufacturers, and parks and other protected areas to implement smart lighting choices. The group also has a Seal of Approval program, which has certified thousands of outdoor lighting fixtures and other products that minimize glare, reduce light trespass and protect the night sky. There are more than 65 Dark Sky Places worldwide across six continents, comprising more than 21,200 square miles.
Applicants for Dark Sky designation range from local astronomy groups or other community organizations, to experts at local, state or national parks who want to help protect their region’s dark skies as a valuable
resource.
According to Gormley, the process for designation as a Dark Sky Place can take more than a year, requiring detailed studies of existing light sources and their brightness. The association then works closely with the location to determine best ways to reduce light pollution and protect night skies. That might include installing new outdoor fixtures that shield light, or turning off or even removing polluting light sources altogether.
“Some of our U.S. chapters partner with local Audubon chapters to work to shield lights or turn them down to help birds from getting confused during their migrations,” Gormley says.
Certification also requires sites to educate the public about night skies. California’s four locations, three desert parks and one desert community, offer programs like night-sky photography workshops, and sky parties where people can spy on other galaxies through powerful telescopes and learn why dark skies are important for wildlife, including sea turtles and migratory birds.
Here’s what to see and do at each location.
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
California’s largest state park earned its International Dark Sky designation in January 2018. Though some of the state’s densest urban areas are a couple of freeway hours west, soaring mountains block the urban glow, making Anza-Borrego an oasis of darkness in eastern San Diego County.
“It’s important that we protect our dark skies,” says park interpreter Sally Theriault. “It’s an important resource, just like our bighorn sheep and our water.”
If you visit the park in late fall or early winter, Theriault says you’re likely to see astro-photographers, with camera equipment attached to large telescopes, at work in the desert. (They like clear skies and mild temperatures this time of year.)
Year-round, you can join night-sky talks at the Borrego Palm Canyon Campground amphitheater. While some events are listed on the park website, call ahead to check for new additions and dates.
200 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, 760-7674205, www.parks.ca.gov/ ?page_id=638
Borrego Springs
The only designated International Dark Sky Community in California, this laid-back desert town is completely surrounded by Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The town’s biggest event is the annual Borrego Springs Dark Sky Weekend (Feb. 1-2, 2019), with guided night walks and expert talks on a wide range of sky-high topics (check the website for details).
It’s hosted by the AnzaBorrego Natural History Association, which also offers dark sky activities year-round, including free stargazing events with telescopes and experts on hand (next event is Dec.8).
For more intimate stargazing experiences, join professional astronomer Dennis Mammana on a private stargazing tour in the region (www.borregonightskytours.com). Or join an overnight camping trip with California Overland, with astronomers, telescopes, camping gear and gourmet food (www.californiaoverland.com).
652 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, 760-7673908, www.abdnha.org
Death Valley National Park
This massive park, the largest International Dark Sky Park in the country, has done a lot to improve and protect its pristine night skies.
Take the bustling Stovepipe Wells area in the middle of the 3.4 million-acre park. Before lighting was modified, “it was so bright at night that it looked like an alien mother ship had landed in the desert,” says park Public Information Officer Abby Wines. Now, Stovepipe Wells “almost disappears at night,” she says.
Interpretive talks, walks and other events show you just how important — and beautiful — those night skies are. Check the park website for details. And if you’re feeling adventurous, take a DIY stargazing tour on Death Valley’s secondary routes, such as Badwater Road, where few headlight-blaring cars travel after dark. (For tips, visit www.nps.gov/deva/learn/ nature/lightscape.htm.)
Furnace Creek Visitor Center (east side of park), 760-7863200, www.nps.gov/deva
Joshua Tree National Park
With its russet-colored, hulking rock formations, this bizarre park already feels a bit like Mars. So, it’s especially fitting that the park, designated as an International Dark Sky location in 2017, is an outstanding place to spy the real Red Planet and other night-sky spectacles.
The Desert Institute, run by the Joshua Tree National Park Association, offers night-sky photography classes and other events in the park. In late fall, the park’s annual Night Sky Festival includes family-friendly activities, plus expert talks and guided stargazing.
Just outside the park’s entrance in Twentynine Palms (San Bernardino County), Sky’s the Limit Observatory and Nature Center invites the public to peer through its assortment of telescopes on moonless Saturday nights.
Park: 74485 National Park Drive, Twentynine Palms, 760-367-5500, www.nps.gov/ jotr; festival: www.jtnparts.org /night-sky-festival; observatory: www.skysthelimit29.org;institute: www.joshuatree.org