A good spot for star gazing?
Via Twitter, @KTdilello asks:
Any suggestions on places to stargaze (away from city lights)....
The moon will be waning over the next few weeks (good for seeing stars), and the forecast is calling for warm nights and somewhat clear skies, so there could be some good stargazing. Also: the Perseid meteor shower is coming up in August.
So, got a suggestion? Please share!
photo: Flickr user stillwellmike (it's a beautiful photo)
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Comments
Thatcher Park has a stargazing program:
http://nysparks.state.ny.us/events/event-results.aspx?pk=128
Besides the program it's a great place for viewing the sky.
... said Hannah on Jul 18, 2011 at 12:39 PM | link
There is (or at least was) a weekly star gazing club at the RPI observatory. It was every Friday night and then turned into every Saturday night and they sometimes went up to the Grafton Lakes State Park
... said Danielle Sanzone on Jul 18, 2011 at 12:41 PM | link
Years ago my mother , and i would see the most awesome meteor showers ever from vistas in Schroon Lake,N.Y.
... said mg on Jul 18, 2011 at 12:43 PM | link
You may want to traipse around www.ObservingSites.com or the International Dark Sky Association (www.darksky.org). They generally have helpful maps for the darkest skies. Generally, heading north and east (toward the Green Mountains) would probably be your best bet, although the ObservingSites website indicates that Long Lake in the Adirondacks is the place to go.
Luckily, aside from the light fog caused by the Capital District, there is not much else around, so heading in most any direction where you can put a hill between you and Albany should result in reasonably dark skies.
... said Paul Buckley on Jul 18, 2011 at 1:07 PM | link
I was also going to recommend Thatcher Park. Also, heading out to Rensselaer County, out around Gould's Orchards and their clear horizons, is always a decent bet.
... said Leah the Nosher on Jul 18, 2011 at 1:35 PM | link
I've photographed stars from various locations in Albany, and with a new moon in the sky, the stars are breathtaking. Can I recommend the parking area near the Mt. Ida Falls in Troy, as well as several locations in the Helderbergs - travel down to 5 Rivers and at night the stars simply sparkle in the sky.
... said Chuck Miller on Jul 18, 2011 at 2:00 PM | link
Also, regarding the Perseid meteor shower, you may have some problems viewing it at its peak - August 13 is also the date of a full moon, so the brightness of the moon will block out all but the brightest of the Perseids.
... said Chuck Miller on Jul 18, 2011 at 2:01 PM | link
I've never been but I understand that Landis Arboretum in Esperance holds stargazing meetings sometimes. Not sure of their normal night hours.
... said BobF on Jul 18, 2011 at 8:01 PM | link
Thanks for the suggestions.
Outside of the specific day you can star gaze at Thatcher, do Park Police normally kick you out at sundown (Thatcher and Grafton?)
... said Katie on Jul 19, 2011 at 7:55 AM | link
There is a UAlbany stargazers:
http://twitter.com/#!/AlbanyStarGaze
However, they are not that frequent.
... said ajabgajab on Jul 19, 2011 at 12:45 PM | link
If you look at the night satellite photo of the North American continent, you see huge amounts of lights all along the East & West coasts. But - there is a big dark area, where there are few electric lights, which is great for stargazing - & that is the Adirondack Park. Head into the park, the more in the middle the better. We see great stars from Lake George on up. I remember a night we were on Little Tupper Lake (used to be in the Whitney estate) floating in canoes, seeing the Milky Way bright enough to be reflected in the water, listening to loons - & being stunned by the Perseids. Super dark sky, great show.
... said Jim Connelly on Jul 25, 2011 at 11:28 PM | link