明星的避难所

Great Basin National Park has one of the darkest, most star-dense skies in the Lower 48. The park was even designated a 暗天公园 in 2016, an honor shared by a little 更多的 than 100 locations around the globe. 在夏季，当看到银河峰的时候，公园的天空超过6英寸,000颗恒星(其中一半被认为是最佳观测)，以及用肉眼瞥见仙女座和三角座等星系的机会.

Why are the parkʼs views so notably stellar? 其中一个原因是它的高沙漠环境，那里的空气中几乎没有阻挡视线的水分. 但最大的因素是，该公园离任何重要的光源都很远.

As the bird flies, it is 45 miles to the nearest community (伊利) and 100 miles to the nearest large town (Cedar City, Utah). 最近的主要都会区(拉斯维加斯和盐湖城)都在150英里之外, and their glow hardly appears on the horizon.

广告阿斯特拉

从业余天文学家到美国宇航局的科学家，每个人都可以指出数据表明夜空正在消失. Nearly 90 percent of Americans live in or near a city. More cities mean 更多的 light pollution, which means fewer stars.

“天文学并不是大盆地国家公园于1986年建立的主要原因,” says lead astronomy ranger Bradley Mills. “It was known as a dark place, but many 的地方 were dark back then. Now, itʼs become 更多的 special.”

米尔斯令人羡慕的头衔带来了许多责任，比如组织项目和培训员工——包括四名季节性护林员. 然而，到目前为止，他最喜欢的角色是当他开始教育公众关于天文学的一切.

Three times a week during the summer, 米尔斯站在公园的天文圆形剧场里，面对着各种年龄和背景的观众. The program—which starts around twilight—begins with a slideshow and brief lecture. 然后, 30分钟后, Mills turns off the projector, and guests look up to a sky now completely transformed. Mills describes the experience as magical.

“Some people donʼt even stand up. They just sit and stare quietly. For many, this is the first time theyʼve ever seen the Milky Way,” he says. “There is something so primal about connecting to the night sky.”

接下来的一个小时, 项目参与者通过大盆地国家公园基金会捐赠的11英寸望远镜观看. Nebulae, stars, planets, galaxies, the moon: All are open for exploration.

“我真的很喜欢英国正版365中文官网有了孩子，他们第一次看到像粉丝最喜欢的土星和它的光环这样的东西. Theyʼll ask if theyʼre looking at a picture,” Mills says.

Millsʼ favorite subject is galaxies, 在他看来，哪一种是展示宇宙浩瀚不可思议的完美载体.

“I remember being blown away the first time I saw the Whirlpool Galaxy,” he says. “这是一个小斑点，你不能用肉眼看到它，但它实际上是两个星系, 一个人消耗另一个人. Just imagine the stellar forces going on in such an interaction. 英国正版365中文官网所看到的是数百万年前发生的事情，这是人类大脑无法理解的.”

Great Basin Astronomy Festival

One of the longest-running astronomy programs in the park system, this family-friendly, three-day festival is all about celebrating the stars. 天文俱乐部, 组织, 爱好者们还设置了数十个望远镜对准一系列天体(包括白天安全的太阳观测望远镜)。. Rangers are on hand to help, but the exciting weekend is run by volunteers and dedicated community support.

研究级

The programʼs telescopes are excellent for guest enjoyment, but the parkʼs star-searching technology doesnʼt stop there. 2016年，这里拥有了最先进的设施:大盆地天文台.

这座天文台的资金几乎全部来自捐赠，是第一个建在国家公园内的研究级天文台. 最好的是27.5-inch telescope is remotely operated and available as a public resource.

“If you want to get time on a standard observatory, youʼll submit your proposal and maybe get a response,米尔斯解释道。. “Here, the answer is almost always yes.”

Graduate and undergrad programs in Nevada and Utah make good use of the telescope, but itʼs not just universities that use the high-tech tool. Younger local students also access the telescope, 包括英国的中学生，其中一些人的名字出现在了发表的科学论文上.

后院的科学家

Anyone remotely interested in high-quality 耽于幻想 should make the trip to Great Basin. 然而, 护林员可能会第一个说，公园的目标不是成为一个专门的度假胜地，而是鼓励游客在自己的后院仰望天空.

“You donʼt need much to be an amateur astronomer,” says Mills. “许多人认为观星意味着买一个昂贵的望远镜，但事实并非如此. 即使是半农村地区也很适合肉眼观察，特别是如果你使用观星应用程序. The next step is getting a pair of binoculars from the thrift store. They make a heck of a difference even in 的地方 with light pollution, and youʼll be better equipped than any human pre-Galileo.”

和, 当然, 米尔斯和他的明星护林员希望客人们看到，灿烂的夜空不一定是黑暗天空公园的东西.

“Reducing light pollution is achievable. 英国正版365中文官网都可以做一些小事，比如把室外的灯设为定时，关上百叶窗. 我鼓励人们看看你的家，并问你如何改善你的邻居. There are communities where people can see the Milky Way while still having lights.”

正如米尔斯所说，观星是人类英国正版365中文的一部分——可能是英国正版365中文官网最古老的消遣之一. Studying the night sky is powerful and humbling. It connects us to our ancestors and introduces us to the wonders of our universe.