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Virginia Is Officially the Dark-Sky Capital of the East Coast. What's That Mean?
Northern Pennsylvania would like to have a word with you.
WASHINGTON DC | MAY 21, 2021 9:45 AM
Virginia Is Officially the Dark-Sky Capital of the East Coast. What’s That Mean?
Five parks across the state boast some of the most stellar stargazing on the east side of the Mississippi
BY LINDSAY ROGERS
I’ll never forget the first time I really saw the night sky for the first time. I don’t mean my first memory of the stars as a child, but rather the first time I saw it — in what I now know to be an International Dark-Sky Park, Grand Canyon National Park — totally unencumbered by light pollution. I don’t even think I had been fully aware that a view like that existed outside of sci-fi movies until that moment.
It was an understandably profound experience, but one that I’d admittedly come to heavily conflate with the southwestern part of the U.S., never once considering that some of the best stargazing in the country might exist just a few hours from where I live — except that it does. In abundance, in fact.
That’s because the state of Virginia is now home to more International Dark-Sky Parks than any other state east of the Mississippi River, making it, for all intents and purposes, the stargazing capital of the east coast. Last month, the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) announced that Natural Bridge State Park and Sky Meadows State Park would be joining ranks with Staunton River State Park, James River State Park and Rappahannock County Park, bringing the official Dark-Sky designation count in the Old Dominion up to five.
{snip}
A Dark-Sky Park, according to the IDA, is defined as, “a land possessing an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and a nocturnal environment that is specifically protected for its scientific, natural, educational, cultural heritage, and/or public enjoyment.” To date, there exist only 103 Dark-Sky Parks in the world, with the U.S. currently home to 80 of them, 12 of which were awarded the status this year. It is a distinction not easily attained, and one that somehow feels even more significant on the east coast, where light pollution is common.
{snip}
Virginia Is Officially the Dark-Sky Capital of the East Coast. What’s That Mean?
Five parks across the state boast some of the most stellar stargazing on the east side of the Mississippi
BY LINDSAY ROGERS
I’ll never forget the first time I really saw the night sky for the first time. I don’t mean my first memory of the stars as a child, but rather the first time I saw it — in what I now know to be an International Dark-Sky Park, Grand Canyon National Park — totally unencumbered by light pollution. I don’t even think I had been fully aware that a view like that existed outside of sci-fi movies until that moment.
It was an understandably profound experience, but one that I’d admittedly come to heavily conflate with the southwestern part of the U.S., never once considering that some of the best stargazing in the country might exist just a few hours from where I live — except that it does. In abundance, in fact.
That’s because the state of Virginia is now home to more International Dark-Sky Parks than any other state east of the Mississippi River, making it, for all intents and purposes, the stargazing capital of the east coast. Last month, the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) announced that Natural Bridge State Park and Sky Meadows State Park would be joining ranks with Staunton River State Park, James River State Park and Rappahannock County Park, bringing the official Dark-Sky designation count in the Old Dominion up to five.
{snip}
A Dark-Sky Park, according to the IDA, is defined as, “a land possessing an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and a nocturnal environment that is specifically protected for its scientific, natural, educational, cultural heritage, and/or public enjoyment.” To date, there exist only 103 Dark-Sky Parks in the world, with the U.S. currently home to 80 of them, 12 of which were awarded the status this year. It is a distinction not easily attained, and one that somehow feels even more significant on the east coast, where light pollution is common.
{snip}