Light pollution is the presence of artificial light in the night sky and as development has increased throughout the west, astronomers lament the lack clean, dark skies to observe the heavens. Fortunately, Idaho is home to some of the darkest skies in America and we...
The Perseid meteor shower dazzles skywatchers every year around mid-August as the Earth passes through the debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle. This year, I traveled to the recently accredited Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve to watch the event in some of the country's darkest skies. I departed...
[embed]https://www.facebook.com/ajplusenglish/videos/688404734875884/[/embed] The mayor of this tiny Idaho town is fighting light pollution. Welcome to the U.S.'s first Dark Sky Reserve. By: Michelle Klug, Reed Lindsay, Nate Liles, Courtnay Whitman, and Jego Armstrong AJ Plus ...
Can’t go to space? Try Idaho. Last year, a 1,400-sq.-mi. region in the central part of the state became the first site in the U.S. and only the 12th in the world to be named a Dark Sky Reserve by the International Dark-Sky Association, meaning that its...
In a high mountain valley in central Idaho over 6,000 feet in elevation, the last hint of a glow from sun fades in the western sky. The conditions are perfect as Steve Botti, an astronomy enthusiast and city councilman for the tiny town of Stanley,...
Stargazers in search of pristine views of the night sky should be heading to Idaho. The International Dark Sky Association (IDA) approved the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve’s application to become the first dark sky reserve in the United States on Monday. It is now one of 12 official...
A giant chunk of central Idaho with a dazzling night sky has become the nation's first International Dark Sky Reserve. The International Dark-Sky Association late Monday designated the 1,400-square-mile (3,600-square-kilometer) Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve. The sparsely populated area's night skies are so pristine that interstellar...
Steve Botti moved to Idaho’s Sawtooth Valley in 2007 and, having spent nearly two decades in Boise, noticed something unusual about his new home: He could see stars―lots and lots of stars. “I’d walk outside and see this spectacularly brilliant night sky and the Milky...
The rugged wildness of the Sawtooth Valley is a powerful seduction. The natural raw beauty of the Sawtooth and White Cloud Mountains has a show-stopping effect on all of us. The Salmon River makes its grand entrance near Galena Summit shaping the landscape while spreading...