Tennessee Is Home To Two Of The Best Dark Sky Parks In The World
By Chris Dodge|Published October 06, 2022
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Chris Dodge
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My name is Chris Dodge and I live right here in the great state of Tennessee. My family and I are full adventurers filled with passion to see the amazing things our state has to offer. We are avid hikers and have explored many different places in Tennessee and beyond but we are always thankful to be living in such a glorious state.
We all love to watch sunsets on a mountain top overlooking some incredible views. When the sun finally descends behind the horizon, the spectacle is over, and it’s time to head home. But then for others, the show is just beginning. Looking at the blanket of stars overhead is equal to any beauty that can be found when the sun is up. There are two dark sky parks in Tennessee, that maintain low light pollution and allow the steller starlight to shine.
Near the northern central part of Tennessee, two parks have earned a silver tier International Dark Sky Park (IDSP) destination.
Pickett CCC Memorial State Park and Pogue Creek Canyon are both fantastic parks to explore during the day. With amazing rock formations, arches, and hiking trails you can spend plenty of time in these natural areas.
When the sun goes down these parks transform into a perfect place for star gazing.
An ISDP is defined as a place with exceptional, distinguished, and continuous quality of starry nights. Low light pollution allows great views of the night sky above.
So one of the best times to view them would be during the new moon cycle. A waxing crescent moon would work too but the best results are when no other major light source is causing you to miss the stars.
Be sure to look for astronomy and star gazing events for each park that happen throughout the year.
Most people will contribute some of the best places in our country for star gazing to the west but we have a wonderful location available for anyone without having to travel all the way across the country.
With these two IDSPs in Tennessee, you can spend the night viewing the best of our starry sky. Watching a blanket of stars overhead is a mesmerizing experience and to see it without light pollution is just a phenomenal sight. So make sure you head to either Pickett CCC Memorial State Park or Pogue Creek Canyon to experience this stunning celestial show.
There was an awesome cosmic event back in the summer of 2022 dubbed the Parade of Planets; did you see this rare event?
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