Stargazing in Tennessee

When you walk outside in your hometown or neighborhood and look up at the night sky, how many stars do you see? Tennessee, along with the entire Eastern region of the U.S., has a lot of light pollution. It’s estimated that 80% of Americans can’t see the Milky Way where they live due to such pollution, according to Astronomy Magazine, which did a story on a global atlas of light pollution in 2016.

Which begs the question, where can Tennesseans go in their home state to see numerous stars in the sky?

When it comes to stargazing in Tennessee, one of the best places to go is Pickett CCC Memorial State Park. Located in Jamestown, just west of Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Pickett CCC Memorial State Park was designated in 2015 as an International Dark Sky Park by DarkSky, which is “a recognized global authority on light pollution,” according to darksky.org. Pickett CCC Memorial State Park is one of the only two designated International Dark Sky Parks in Tennessee. The other is Obed Wild and Scenic River.

Along with the DarkSky designation, Pickett CCC Memorial State Park has the Pickett-Pogue Astronomy Field, open to the public for stargazing year-round, and offers monthly stargazing programs. Pickett CCC Memorial State Park Ranger Michael Hodge said he usually schedules those events on the Friday night closest to the new moon each month to ensure a really dark sky that is most ideal for stargazing.

“A lot of people don’t realize just how many stars they’re not seeing because of the light pollution,” Hodge said. “It depends on where they live, but if they’re anywhere near a town or city, there are a lot of stars they’re not seeing. When we have people come out here to Pickett CCC Memorial State Park, they’re just blown away by how many stars they can see.”

Light pollution isn’t just about seeing (or not seeing) the Milky Way, though. Hodge said there are two main reasons he believes dark skies are important to protect.

From a natural perspective, humans need darkness to sleep, and light pollution can impact sleep patterns.

Light pollution also impacts wildlife — for example, throwing off migrating birds that often use starlight to navigate.

From a cultural perspective, humans have a longstanding connection culturally to the night sky.

“We have those constellations up there because those are the stories we told each other hundreds of thousands of years ago, that (the sky) was where we projected our histories,” Hodge said. “And then, of course, you have people navigating the oceans and exploring the world using the stars. So we have a real connection to the night sky, and with light pollution, it obscures that, and we kind of lose that connection.”

Are you looking to stargaze at Pickett CCC Memorial State Park or somewhere else with dark skies? Hodge had some tips. For those who are traveling two to three hours (or more) to reach the park, he recommended either staying at the park in a cabin or campground or booking nearby local lodging so you don’t have to drive back home in the middle of the night. He also recommended keeping a close eye on the weather for night sky conditions, dressing weather-appropriately and bringing a blanket or a chair.

“Make yourself comfortable and just enjoy the night sky,” Hodge said. “It’s really something when you get out there, and you just kind of lose yourself.”

Stargazing resources and tools

Beginner stargazers might be looking up at the night sky and feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stars, especially if they are wanting to identify any.

“There are lots of apps for the phone where you can just hold your phone up, and it will orient the screen to where it matches the sky,” said Dr. Billy Teets, director of Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory with a Ph.D. in (astro) physics. “If you’re just brand new to the sky, this might be a great way to really help get you oriented.”

Hodge warned, however, that using your phone is not ideal for night viewing as your eyes adjust to the screen’s blue light, and it takes a bit for them to readjust to the darkness. That’s why he suggested using a red flashlight to view a printed-out star map (he recommended skymaps.com) or a planisphere, a circular tool that shows what’s in the sky at certain times of night throughout the year.

“This will get you acquainted with the sky,” Teets said, agreeing with the lower-tech recommendation as well. “This is a great way to start learning those constellations and learning some of those star names,” adding that people wanting to go deeper into stargazing to identify fainter objects must be able to “star hop” by identifying constellations and brighter stars to find other nearby objects in the sky.

Hodge said that “you can go as far as you want to” when it comes to stargazing and identifying objects in the sky.

“I always recommend to people, if they want to really get into stargazing a little deeper, binoculars are a really good way to get to the next step,” Hodge said.

Teets said when he views with binoculars, he lies in the grass or on a blanket (so he doesn’t have to stand for too long) and takes his time to gradually scan the skies with his binoculars.

“As you’re scanning the Milky Way, you’re going to get a much wider field of view with binoculars than you are with a telescope, and exploring the Milky Way with binoculars is very rewarding,” Teets said. “Your field of view is just littered with stars, and in some cases, it’s kind of breathtaking just how beautiful it can be.”

“It looks like somebody threw out some diamonds on black velvet,” Hodge said.

Teets said he wouldn’t advise beginner stargazers to buy a really expensive telescope at first, not until they’re better-acquainted with the night sky. For more seasoned stargazers wanting to learn how to use a telescope, Teets said, “Don’t be afraid to ask others for help,” adding that observatories, star party events and local astronomy clubs like the Barnard-Seyfert Astronomical Society in Nashville can be great wealths of astronomical knowledge.

Year-round stargazers

Teets said there are stargazing advantages to all the different seasons.

In the summer and winter, the disc of the Milky Way is high in the sky, so it is a great time to see objects that reside within our galaxy like star clusters and nebulae, Teets said. In the summer, we are looking toward the center of the Milky Way, which is “littered with stars,” while in the winter, we are looking toward the outer part of our galaxy.

Hodge said the summer view of the Milky Way is “really the one people want to see.” Late May through early October are when you can view the center of the Milky Way, with the peak viewing window being July or August.

The spring and fall are a good time for stargazers to see objects outside of the Milky Way.

“If you think of the galaxy as a big Frisbee, instead of looking through the Frisbee, you’re going to be looking up and out of it,” Teets said.

Since the Milky Way is out of the way, our view is less obscured from the rest of the universe, allowing for us to see faraway objects and other galaxies like the Andromeda Galaxy.

Teets said there’s not a specific time of night that is the most ideal for stargazing. That depends on what someone is looking for — when those objects are visible in the sky will depend on the time of night and year. He added that the Stellarium app and spaceweather.com are great tools to see what will be up in the sky at what time and any astronomical events to watch for while stargazing.

“It does require some planning,” Teets said. More elements stargazers should keep in mind are the moon phases, weather conditions and humidity levels (high humidity and/or lots of moonlight can decrease star visibility in the sky).

Relaxing and beautiful

When asked to describe stargazing in two words, Teets said “relaxing” and “beautiful.”

“Some of the times that I’ve been up at the observatory, it’s just me up there with the telescope, it’s a nice summer evening and the wind is blowing, and while I’m observing, I’m also paying attention to other things like the sounds of the night,” Teets said. “It’s not uncommon to hear owls, or you might hear some coyotes out yipping and just enjoying being out there.

“Astronomy can really reconnect you with nature, and, especially if you’re not focused on trying to achieve a specific thing, you’re just out there for the fun of it, it’s a great way to just decompress. It gets us away from a lot of the things that we encounter in our everyday lives.

“It can sometimes be tough to get people interested in astronomy, but I think there are so many beautiful things out there that people of all backgrounds can appreciate. The universe is just a beautiful place.”

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International Dark Sky Week is April 2 to 8. Take some time during the first full week of April leading up to the April 8 solar eclipse — the last total solar eclipse visible to the U.S. until August 2044 — to look up at the stars.

More information on Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory can be found on dyer.vanderbilt.edu, including upcoming events such as monthly viewing nights and lectures.

More information on Pickett CCC Memorial State Park can be found at tnstateparks.com/parks/pickett. Find planned stargazing events in the “upcoming events” section on the website. Nearby Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area also has dark sky views. Find more information and events on nps.gov/biso.