Hi, everyone, and happy January new moon -- this coming Sunday, January 18. Our skies have been unusually clear lately, so the stars are shining brightly. Get outside if you can -- even if for only a few minutes.
This update is chock full of all sorts of good info, including a special update on the night skies over the Gorge, plus some videos and stories from different sources. Skim a story if you must, or study it carefully if you can -- there's a variety here for everyone.
DARKSKY OREGON HAS A NEW REPORT ON OREGON'S SKIES, INCLUDING OVER THE GORGE
We've talked before about the statewide network of Sky Quality Meters (SQMs) that record the darkness of the night sky over 83 sites in Oregon. Every three months, volunteers download data from each site, and that data is processed, analyzed, and reported annually. Ten of these 83 SQMs are in the Gorge, and this map shows where they are -- along with their most current darkness readings:
The number in parentheses next to each site is a sky darkness score used by astronomers -- the bigger the number, the darker the sky. The map and colored shading is from the New World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness, and the key shows that a darker color represents a darker sky. Main takeaways:
Not surprisingly, Gorge skies are darker than the red and purple areas close to Portland
The average from our 10 Gorge SQMs is 20.88, which puts our skies slightly darker than the 19.95 midpoint of the color-coded scale.
The brightest sky in the Gorge is at Sandy River Delta (19.2), greatly impacted by light pollution from Portland.
Deeper in the Gorge, The Dalles and Hood River are islands of light pollution.
The darkest skies in the Gorge are at Viento State Park, just outside Mosier, and Wishram AQI (all tied at 21.4). A future project is to identify good public access locations for stargazing.
Over time, data from these 10 SQMs will document any changes in the night skies throughout the Gorge.
If you want to learn more about this, go to the DarkSky Oregon Skyglow Measurement Network webpage and maybe explore its terrific interactive dashboard. A full version of the latest annual report will be posted soon, and we will share key findings in future monthly updates.
DARK SKIES ARE GETTING SOME GREAT PUBLICITY:
To start, here's a fun new 30-second video from DarkSky Oregon about Lighting Wisely. There is always interesting information on the Dark Sky Oregon website.
The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) recommends stargazing
Dark Skies Gorge member Reg Killingley sent us this three-minute BBC video about the benefits of stargazing, including the psychological benefit of reducing stress. Thanks, Reg!
BUT DARK SKIES DON'T JUST REDUCE STRESS -- THEY ARE ALSO BEAUTIFUL
Dark Skies Gorge member Tina Castanares sent us this astronomy picture of the day. It's called "Gemini Meteors over Snow-Capped Mountain", and it's by Tomas Slovinsky. As he says, these are meteors coming from the constellation of Gemini, captured here in a composite of many images taken over a few days through dark skies from Slovakia and capturing the snow-covered peaks of the Belianske Tatra mountains. Orion is visible above the horizon, while the bright star nearest the radiant is Castor. Thanks, Tina!
The Hood River City Development Code Update is Continuing - This is a repeat from December but it is still Important to participate in the process.
The second draft of a new code is underway, and there are important things YOU can do -- and hopefully will do. The link below is to the project page where there is a lot of information. To learn more about the overall code update before you provide inputs, read the the consultants Initial Code Update Recommendations from about a year ago.
Actions for each of us while on the Project webpage:
Sign up for Project Updates - towards the bottom of the page.
Submit a comment advocating for dark skies friendly code updates (at the very bottom of the page). Write as much as you want, but even something as simple as “Please limit outdoor light pollution so we can keep our dark skies dark” will make an impact.
Complete the Topics of the Week questionnaire at the top of the page. There are now four questionnaires to answer. There will be 7 or 8 of these over time, so check back weekly (you can also answer previous questions).
Okay, that's it for this month. As you can see, there's a lot happening -- locally, regionally, and around the world. The Dark Sky movement is growing, and we're a part of it. Each of us can keep doing our part, and remember -- Let's keep ourselves in the dark.
Best, Mike Hendricks, Mike McKeag, Mark Zanmiller
Growing our Network
Please pass along this email (or this sign-up link) to friends who might be interested in getting the emails.
Note: If you reply to the new emails, the ‘To’ address looks funky - but it does get to dark.skies.gorge@gmail.com.
