Top 5 Largest Dark State Parks In Contiguous US
There are 14 US states with State Parks that are Bortle 1 scale, which is the darkest that the skies could be. Of these 14 states, 2 states have at least 5 Bortle 1 sites…
Articles by Mike R
Perseus
Located in the northern sky, Perseus is a constellation that is named after the Greek mythological hero Perseus. It is one of the 48 ancient constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains part of the 88 modern constellations. It is located near…
Canes Venatici
Located in the northern hemisphere, Canes Venatici is a small constellation that was created by Johannes Hevelius in the 17th century. Its name is Latin for ‘hunting dogs’, and the constellation is often depicted in illustrations as representing the dogs…
Serpens
Located in the northern hemisphere, Serpens was listed amongst Ptolemy in his 2nd century listing. Serpns is unique among the modern constellations, as it is split into 2 non-contiguous parts, Serpens Caput to the west…
Cygnus
Lying on the plane of the Milky Way, the constellation Cygnus derives its name from the Latinization of the Greek word for swan. Cygnus has become 1 of the most recognizable constellations because of its association with the Northern Cross asterism….
Aquarius
Aquarius is a constellation of the zodiac, with a name that is Latin for “water-carrier” or “cup-carrier.” This would correlate with its representation of water. Aquarius is one of the oldest of the recognized constellations along the zodiac with 2nd century BC astronomy…
Canis Major
Located in the southern celestial hemisphere, Canis Major is a constellation visible in the summer for the southern hemisphere and winter for the northern hemisphere sky. The constellation was included in Ptolemy’s 2nd century constellations. The…
Cassiopeia
Located in the northern sky, Cassiopeia is a constellation named after the vain queen Cassiopeia in Greek mythology. In Greek mythology, Cassiopeia was vain as she boasted about her unrivaled beauty. Cassiopeia was one of the 48 constellations listed by…
Leo
Located in the northern celestial hemisphere, Leo is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for lion, and to the ancient Greeks represented the Nemean Lion killed by the mythical Greek…
Coma Berenices
Visible in both hemispheres, but located in the northern sky, Coma Berenices has its roots as an ancient asterism. Its name means “Berenice’s Hair” in Latin and refers to Queen Berenice II of Egypt, who…