When the radiant is low, most of the meteors that flash below this point are missed, and rates are considerable lower. Also after midnight the Earth rotates into the oncoming meteors and more are seen. A sleeping bag, lawn chair, warm drink, and a plastic tarp for dew protection will improve your meteor observing comfort. Chaco s Night Sky Initiative began in 1991 when the Park added the dark sky to its list of natural resources to be protected. Chaco responded by constructing buildings to house this equipment which included a domed observatory, computer room, and an amphitheater for large group programs.
Visitors get to participate in a true dark sky experience.
You can find out much more about Chaco s Night Sky Initiative by logging onto the web site noted below and clicking on the Chaco button. We were in the heart of Egypt s greatest necropolis and that was the scariest dark I have yet experienced. The night sky is never that black, for stars, planets, and even the sky itself give off sufficient quantities of light for the fully dark adapted eye to discern easily a myriad of details on the ground. Let s not even consider what the moon can do or the constant reminder of orange from the urban sky glow which domes our cities. Astronomers say the darkest skies in the world occur in the Australian Outback.