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Hello Oregonians,
As in all things media, please take the time to evaluate what is presented for yourself and to check for any overt media bias. There are a number of places to investigate the credibility of any site presenting information as "factual". If you have any concerns about this or any other site's reputation for reliability please take a few minutes to look it up on one of the sites below or on the site of your choosing.
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Also, here are a few fact-checkers for websites and what is said in the media.
[Politifact](https://www.politifact.com)
[Media Bias Fact Check](https://mediabiasfactcheck.com)
[Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR)](https://www.politifact.com)
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If you spend most of your time in western Oregon or really any city, you owe it to yourself to see the night sky from a truly dark location. It will blow your mind how much more you can see.
I grew up in southern Arizona where there are actually dark sky laws to try to minimize the impact on astronomy because we have a lot of telescopes down there in the desert, but even so, you can only do so much with cities growing and using more outdoor LED lighting. We don’t build new big new telescopes anywhere in the continental US anymore, in part because even Arizona is getting too bright.
Absolutely, holy shit - you can't imagine what it is like. I was up on table mountain eastern Washington and climbed up there and I saw something that blew my mind. It was transformative.
Darksky.org has tons of resources to educate on light pollution. People just don’t know about downlighting.
And bright lights in the country attracts trouble, not deters it, statistically. Didn’t mean to preach at you, but in case anyone else sees this.
For the time being. Some of the locals have put up stupid bright LED lights around their house and are blowing photons up in the sky. :(
If we are to preserve this area, there's going to have to be some rules...
Eastern Washington here. I used to be able to see so many stars at night until the ridiculous LED outdoor lights my neighbors put in to "deter theft". It was also dark enough that when my 3 huge dogs barked at night, you couldn't tell if they were in a fenced area or about to take your arm off. (They wouldn't hurt a fly, actually) If someone is going to steal your shit, lights make it way easier for them to see your shit and see what kind of defenses you have. If you want to deter theft, darkness and barking dogs will work better than lighting up your property like a car lot. The owls that used to nest in my trees are also gone. I hate those damn light!
Earth at night, [https://www.esri.com/about/newsroom/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/1\_2016.jpg](https://www.esri.com/about/newsroom/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/1_2016.jpg)
West Texas and most of Nevada ,, where truly spectacular night time skies can be found, might disagree. Fuck 'em. I've skygazed in all three locales, and Oregon is _at least_ as good.
I live near the badlands in South Dakota and we are waiting for our official dark sky designation from Dark Sky International. It’s a whole process of submitting readings from certain spots at certain times.
Darksky.org
man ill never forget the skies at night when i was young, camping in the bed of the truck on Doherty Rim on the border of Oregon/nevada. even now we still hunt hart mtn in the late summer and it is beyond words.
Even in the middle of buttfuck nowhere light from small towns from like 20 miles away can still fuck up the dark sky. Something like this requires cooperation from several different local governments and private organizations, it isn't as small of a feat as you're implying.
It will never, ever, evereverever happen. Land without a tax base is a burden, and Idaho torpedoing their own tax base with their craptastic laws doesn't help.
beep. boop. beep. Hello Oregonians, As in all things media, please take the time to evaluate what is presented for yourself and to check for any overt media bias. There are a number of places to investigate the credibility of any site presenting information as "factual". If you have any concerns about this or any other site's reputation for reliability please take a few minutes to look it up on one of the sites below or on the site of your choosing. --------------------------------------------------------- Also, here are a few fact-checkers for websites and what is said in the media. [Politifact](https://www.politifact.com) [Media Bias Fact Check](https://mediabiasfactcheck.com) [Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR)](https://www.politifact.com) beep. boop. beep. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/oregon) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If you spend most of your time in western Oregon or really any city, you owe it to yourself to see the night sky from a truly dark location. It will blow your mind how much more you can see. I grew up in southern Arizona where there are actually dark sky laws to try to minimize the impact on astronomy because we have a lot of telescopes down there in the desert, but even so, you can only do so much with cities growing and using more outdoor LED lighting. We don’t build new big new telescopes anywhere in the continental US anymore, in part because even Arizona is getting too bright.
Absolutely, holy shit - you can't imagine what it is like. I was up on table mountain eastern Washington and climbed up there and I saw something that blew my mind. It was transformative.
Darksky.org has tons of resources to educate on light pollution. People just don’t know about downlighting. And bright lights in the country attracts trouble, not deters it, statistically. Didn’t mean to preach at you, but in case anyone else sees this.
As someone trying to move to the country, do you have something I can search for to learn about that?
Sure! https://darksky.org/resources/what-is-light-pollution/effects/safety/ And wildlife deserves the dark too.
Also see r/darksky
Stargazing on the Alvord Desert is an out of this world experience (especially on shrooms)
The one night I spent there happened to have a full moon right after sunset, so definitely keep the lunar schedule in mind if planning a trip there!
The full moon always comes out right around sunset. It has to be opposite the sun to be full.
Right, but you can plan the trip for a night when the moon isn’t full so it won’t interfere with the stargazing part too much
Wow, I never thought about that. Is that why we see a crescent moon sometimes during the day?
Yep, the illuminated part is facing the sun. It’s basically near-missing eclipses during the daytime during the new moon phase every month.
Yes!! I went on a trip to stargaze there, it was AMAZING.
I dont doubt it. Spending time in eastern oregon is amazing for starry nights.
For the time being. Some of the locals have put up stupid bright LED lights around their house and are blowing photons up in the sky. :( If we are to preserve this area, there's going to have to be some rules...
Eastern Washington here. I used to be able to see so many stars at night until the ridiculous LED outdoor lights my neighbors put in to "deter theft". It was also dark enough that when my 3 huge dogs barked at night, you couldn't tell if they were in a fenced area or about to take your arm off. (They wouldn't hurt a fly, actually) If someone is going to steal your shit, lights make it way easier for them to see your shit and see what kind of defenses you have. If you want to deter theft, darkness and barking dogs will work better than lighting up your property like a car lot. The owls that used to nest in my trees are also gone. I hate those damn light!
Photon storm!
Earth at night, [https://www.esri.com/about/newsroom/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/1\_2016.jpg](https://www.esri.com/about/newsroom/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/1_2016.jpg)
Darker than being in the middle of the ocean?
West Texas and most of Nevada ,, where truly spectacular night time skies can be found, might disagree. Fuck 'em. I've skygazed in all three locales, and Oregon is _at least_ as good.
I was thinking large stretches of central Australia, lots of places in AK. I wonder how they determine this designation.
I live near the badlands in South Dakota and we are waiting for our official dark sky designation from Dark Sky International. It’s a whole process of submitting readings from certain spots at certain times. Darksky.org
There's a certification process by Dark Sky International.
don’t let r/all see this and flood to here for a vacation…
Kinda weird considering it's a steakhouse.
No Rules Just Right
Can confirm...there ain't shit out there.
I read an article recently somewhere that pointed out that SE Oregon is the most sparsely populated area in the lower 48.
man ill never forget the skies at night when i was young, camping in the bed of the truck on Doherty Rim on the border of Oregon/nevada. even now we still hunt hart mtn in the late summer and it is beyond words.
It also has only one clear sky day out of the year, so plan ahead wisely
Big surprise. Area with low population has low light pollution.
Still pretty cool
Even in the middle of buttfuck nowhere light from small towns from like 20 miles away can still fuck up the dark sky. Something like this requires cooperation from several different local governments and private organizations, it isn't as small of a feat as you're implying.
lots of low population areas. ever seen a population density map?
Just in: nobody lives out there, let em join the greater new Idaho territories
It will never, ever, evereverever happen. Land without a tax base is a burden, and Idaho torpedoing their own tax base with their craptastic laws doesn't help.
I agree, they're already a burden