Get Out of Town!

Last month I talked about the two Galaxy Seasons in my Beginner’s Corner. It leaves open the question of where to go to see galaxies. Light Pollution as well as our local nighttime humidity (and fog) are the enemies of being able to enjoy our galactic neighbors.

Local Sites

Galaxies are dim. You can “see” M31 from Houge Park and most of the Messier Galaxies on a good night in Almaden Valley. “See” here really means detect. Several local sites offer a better chance to observe detail in the Messier and most of the TAC Eye Candy Objects. In my mind, the best sites within about an hour of San Jose are (in my own preference order) Dinosaur Point, Fremont Peak, Henry Coe State Park, and Coyote County Park. Check the TAC website for details on the access rules and when other observers are going. Dinosaur Point is only open on certain nights and only during the winter months.

Travelling Further in California

Unfortunately, each of the previous sites is not really that dark (unless you get lucky with the fog). As you move to dimmer objects or desire to see more detail in the brighter ones you will have to travel. California still has some sites that are relatively dark. I will talk about these in order of their distance from San Jose.

* Lake San Antonio – Located about 3 hours south of San Jose where the club and GSSP hold our fall CalStar. It is the closest truly dark area on publicly accessible land. The area used for CalStar is open year round. Check the club website and be sure to call the rangers before going¹.

* Private Land – Some private landowners permit other astronomers to share their land. Two of these sites are occasionally announced on the TAC mail list.

* Sierras/Lassen – The Sacramento branch of TAC uses several sites in the mountains. I have personally never participated, but sites look good. The TAC sites page discusses several sites, but announcements may only be made on TAC-SAC. GSSP held their event last year at Lassen.

* Golden State Star Party – The last (and probably darkest) is the Golden State Star Party located in northeastern CA. The summer time is not ideal for galaxy hunting, but the spring objects are still up at sunset and the fall objects are rising at sunrise.

Out of California

If you are willing to travel even further then you can find some of the darkest skies. Different latitudes also offer the advantage of being able to view different objects.

* Other Star Parties – Other major star parties are held each year in Oregon, Texas, Washington, All-Arizona Star Party and the Grand Canyon Star Party. A more complete list is published in Sky and Telescope.

* Sunglow Ranch, Arizona – Located about 2 hours east of Tucson offers the ideal combination of dark skies, dry air, and attitude. As a bonus at the end of the night you can sleep in a hotel room a few steps from your scope and eat gourmet meals. BYOT².

* New Mexico Skies and Star Hill Inn, New Mexico – Both of these sites offer on-site telescope rental. I have never been to these sites.

* TravelQuest Trip to Costa Rica - My favorite travel agent arranges an annual trip to a site on the west coast of Costa Rica in February. During that time the Costa Rica weather is much like California’s summer weather. Its more southerly location allows viewing of the southern Milky Way. In addition. several galaxy groups that are too far south for California are visible. BYOT.

* Southern Hemisphere Locations – I have done a fair amount of travelling on my own and with groups south of the equator. Several organized trips offer limited observing possibilities.

You have more options if you are willing to be your own travel agent. Australia offers the language advantage plus a western society, but at the cost of driving on the left side. The Magellan Observatory near Sydney offers scope rental like the New Mexico sites. For other sites you will have to make all of the arrangements and will be strictly BYOT. Chile is also a possibility. I will likely go there in 2010, although mostly for other reasons. Others have done trips on their own to the desert. Africa has dark skies, but presents serious security and safety challenges.

Summary

Unfortunately if you want to see objects beyond the urban star party objects you will have to travel a few hours or half way around the world. Doing so will open up new observing possibilities for you to explore.

1 LSA Park Office 805 472 2311

2. Bring Your Own Telescope