Northern California Is Home To One Of The Best Dark Sky Reserves In The World

In Northern California, the counties of Siskiyou, Modoc, Shasta, and Lassen are miles away from any major city, so the night sky is very dark. You can sit amongst the trees and have a great view of the dark night sky from a number of locations.

This massive area of land is a playground for stargazers. Local astronomer's clubs frequently host "star parties," that are open to the public. Typically, astronomers bring their telescopes to these events and share them with other enthusiasts.

If you’ve ever purposely sought out a dark night sky, you’ll know that being in a dark area makes a major difference when it comes to what you can see with the naked eye. Darkness is measured by something called the Bortle Scale. It’s a nine-number scale that qualifies the darkness and factors in light pollution. Due to expanding cities and suburbs, light pollution makes it harder to see the stars. Usually, people have to travel to experience anything lower than a 4 on the Bortle Scale.

Lassen Volcanic National Park has a Bortle Scale rating of 1, the darkest night sky.

McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park is also very dark with a Bortle Scale of 2. Modoc National Forest is rated as a 1 on the Bortle Scale.

Various astronomer's clubs in the area can guide you to the darkest spots for some really amazing stargazing.

To make the most of your stargazing trip to Northern California, check the phase of the moon. You’ll want to aim for the least amount of light, unless you want to capture the full moon in photos, of course.

Lassen Volcanic National Park occasionally hosts ranger-led star viewing programs.

The park is also host to Lassen’s Dark Sky Festival each summer.

To really see the night sky well, you’ll want to camp.

Luckily, Northern California counties are loaded with campgrounds. You can also join groups and events, like the

Golden State Star Party to camp with other amateur astronomers under the dark night sky.

To get started as an amateur astronomer, go online to search for your local star parties and astronomer clubs.

Although the area likely won’t have a very dark night sky, with a telescope and some level of darkness, you’ll be able to see some planets and stars. That might spark a love of stargazing!

To learn more about dark skies and light pollution, visit the International Dark-Sky Association.

">

Have you ever taken a trip to stargaze in Northern California? Where did you go? Tell us about your experience in the comments.