April through June and November see the least rainfall at the Grand Canyon, so you're likely to be able to see the stars without much cloud cover during those times. Red Rock Canyon. The annual Black Canyon Astronomy Festival includes lots of stargazing, both with and without telescopes! Photo Credit: Joyce Tanihara. m_j_lyons, October 8, 2012 in Observing - Reports. Navigate the night Blue Canyon-Nyack Airport lies in the Tahoe National Forest area near Emigrant Gap on the I80. The stargazing window here is brief: The park closes at 9:00 pm in summer and 6:00 pm in winter, but their "summer" starts on April Fool's Day and ends on Halloween. A faint fuzzy. As a matter of fact - first stargazing in WAY too long. Users of this site agree to the Terms of Service, Privacy Notice/Your California Privacy Rights, and Ad Choices, Best Time to View Sunsets at the Grand Canyon, Best Time to View Sunsets in San Francisco, National Park Service: Grand Canyon Star Party, Time and Date: Moonrise, Moonset, and Phase Calendar for Grand Canyon Village, Grand Canyon National Park: Sunrise/sunset times and moon phases. January is the coldest month, with after-dark temperatures dipping into the teens. That's a great collection of objects and sounds like a lovely spot for observing. The altitude ranges from 7,000 feet on the South Rim to 8,000 feet on the North Rim. However, the National Park Service hosts a Grand Canyon Star Party each year in June, which lasts for eight days. However, the more remote North Rim offers a quieter environment, when open, during the summer season. I've managed to pick up NGC 7331 and NGC 7217 in Pegasus, which are both pretty bright and good targets for more modest instruments. They arrived in the UK quickly enough but I was surprised to receive a customs note with them (since books should be exempt from additional taxes). The darkest spots in the Conservation Area are along State Route (SR) 160, also known as Blue Diamond Road, south of the Visitor Center & the Scenic Drive.Cottonwood Valley and Late Night trailheads, located on SR 160 a few miles west of the SR 159 & SR 160 intersection, are in dark, flat, expansive areas of Red Rock Canyon, and thus provide wide open views of the night sky. Luckily my cell phone signal was adequate tether my laptop and access the latest Supernova list at http://www.rochester.../supernova.html...but it wasnt' fast enough to update SkyTools. Goal #2 complete! Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. April temperatures dip to freezing at the South Rim, and summer nights range from the mid-40s to the mid-50s. ... Get lost watching the stars at Tiger Canyon Private Game Reserve. No details...just a faint haze patch. The area has a little bit of light pollution from the small mountain towns nestled in the surrounding valleys but it still offers a fairly dark sky. Both the South Rim and North Rim have nightly events that include a slide show and telescopes for viewing. What better place to bask in our incredible solar system than Arizona’s iconic Grand Canyon? Blue Kanyon is a Canadian software services provider. Next up was SN 2009ip a LBV that has transitioned to Type IIn SN in PsA. By Northeast of Salt Lake City, East Canyon State Park, the latest to be designated by the IDA, is a short drive from The Lodge at Blue Sky, deep in the Wasatch Mountains. M101 was just visible as a haze with no details visible...but it was so low on the horizon it was about as much as I could wish for. NGC7217 - GX - A bright core with descent size and remaining relatively bright through the disk - no more details. The Milky Way was visible overhead...but really only overhead with direct vision. First stargazing trip of 2013 to the California foothills. Try First Creek area, Oak Creek trailhead area (both off SR 159), and Blue … At 120x 7319/7320 were just barely visible...at 240x they were more easy in averted vision and the haze of 7318 were just barely there. Quick trip to the California mountains to Blue Canyon airport (~5300 elevation) for some fall stargazing. Also, apologies to m_j_lyons for inadvertently hijacking your thread, but thanks again for the info. Best of Blue Canyon: Find must-see tourist attractions and things to do in Blue Canyon, California. Just below NGC7318a/b were ghosts of haze with averted vision. It is a very nice galaxy of good surface brightness. I find that with deep star gazing (faint fuzzy hunting...supernova chasing...and quasar counting) the search can be as enjoyable as the find.