[MissTee_]

Thanks for the tour info. Been wanting to check out Great Basin NP for dark sky photography. Maybe I can finally make it by next year.

[ND_Irish]

My family and I participated in the Star Train program a few years ago with Great Basin National Park. I seem to recall that the weather was somewhat cloudy that day so viewing conditions were not optimal, but we enjoyed the train ride nonetheless. The train goes a good distance from Ely, and then passengers leave the train to view objects through a telescope. Interestingly, a crew from CBS Sunday Morning was on the train with us, and they had selected this program to feature Great Basin National Park in their coverage of all of the national parks for the centennial.



We just visited Bryce Canyon for the annual astronomy festival last week, and it is scheduled during a new moon for optimal star viewing. Starting at about 10 p.m. the Bryce Canyon National Park shuttle takes people to a remote field where volunteers have many telescopes set up where people can view a variety of stars, plants, and even a galaxy. While the weather was pretty cold at that time of day, I do not think I have been to a place where we have been able to see so many stars as well as the Milky Way galaxy which appeared as a cloudy band across the sky.


Capitol Reef National Park is also a dark sky park, and the neighboring town of Torrey, Utah is a dark sky town. On a clear night this week, I would say the night sky there was just as good as Bryce Canyon.

[lvmensch]

Set me to remembering. First time I actually saw the milky way was at the Covered Bridge Boy Scout Camp outside of Louisville, KY. where I grew up. Would never have believed all that stuff was up there. And we did not actually need the telescopes. It was the overall sky that was unbelievable. Just lay on your back in the grass and marvel at the majestic display.

Since spent a couple of decades doing coastal sailing. Up and down the Pacific Coast from 10 to a couple of hundred miles off shore. That is where you learn what the sky looks like. I personally favored the watch before dawn...the ultimate time to view the sky. So I have a few thousand hours with the milky way in bold relief.

So if you have never seen it go for it. We should all see it at least once...