Death Valley Named Dark Sky Park

The place where the hottest temperature ever recorded is now the newest and largest dark sky park. On February 20 the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) announced that Death Valley as a Gold Tier International Dark Sky Park, meaning that objects can be seen here that are not visible anywhere else except the darkest places.

The IDA statement said, “The park is far enough away from the light-polluted cities of the West that its views of the night sky are "near pristine," offering a glimpse of what could be seen before such cities were erected”. Park staff and local astronomy clubs have urged local towns/cities to use dark-sky friendly lighting, which directs the light downward instead of sideways or upwards.

The park regularly hosts astronomy clubs, astrophotographers, and other astronomy events.

Photo: Raj Chanian

References:

http://www.livescience.com/27284-death-valley-largest-dark-sky-park.html

http://www.ouramazingplanet.com/2948-africa-night-sky-reserve.html