Dark sky park questions

A conservation area certified by DarkSky International for the quality of its night sky, its responsible outdoor lighting and its night-sky programs for visitors. The first was Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah, certified in 2007.

DarkSky International has certified more than 200 places worldwide across all categories, many of them in the United States. This site currently describes 22 of the U.S. Parks and Sanctuaries in 21 states; the full register is on the organization’s website.

During the week around the new moon, after astronomical twilight has ended. For the bright part of the Milky Way, the Park Service points to summer and fall evenings.

Not well. The National Park Service says that if the full moon is up, the Milky Way will be hard to see. A moonlit night is better suited to a night hike.

Yes. Cherry Springs State Park in Pennsylvania, certified in 2008, is known as one of the top stargazing sites in the East. Staunton River State Park in Virginia, Watoga State Park in West Virginia and Katahdin Woods and Waters in Maine are certified too.

No. Under a dark sky the Milky Way, meteors and thousands of stars are visible to the unaided eye. Binoculars add a great deal, and several certified parks host star parties and astronomy programs.

Red light affects night vision far less than white light. The Park Service recommends a red flashlight or headlamp so that your eyes, and those of people near you, stay adjusted to the dark.

It depends on the park. Some limit night access to overnight guests — Watoga State Park, for instance, opens its night sky viewpoints at any hour to cabin guests and campers. Check the park’s own website before you go.

Parks are conservation areas with good lighting and visitor programs. Sanctuaries are the most remote and often darkest places, whose conservation state is most fragile — such as Katahdin Woods and Waters in Maine.