Dark Sky Passport

UTAH DARK SKY PASSPORT

An iNvitation to eXplore tHe Night

Go to a Dark Sky Place (see map on next page)

Explore the great outdoors at night and connect with the cosmos

Learn more by completing the dark sky activities

For each Dark Sky Place you visit:

Describe your experience (see pages at back of Passport)

Stamp your Passport with the Dark Sky Passport Stamps

Share your story on the Dark Sky Passport website & receive a Dark Sky Certificate!

Bortle Scale

Photo Credit: skyglowproject.com

Which Dark Sky Places in Utah have YOU been to?

NATIONAL PARKS

Arches NP

Bryce Canyon NP

Canyonlands NP

Capitol Reef NP

Zion NP

NATIONAL MONUMENTS

Cedar Breaks NM

Dinosaur NM

Hovenweep NM

Natural Bridges NM

Rainbow Bridge NM

Timpanogos Cave NM

LOCAL PARKS

North Fork Park

STATE PARKS

Antelope Island

Dead Horse Point

East Canyon

Fremont Indian

Goblin Valley

Goosenecks

Jordanelle

Kodachrome Basin

Rockport

Steinaker COMMUNITIES

Castle Valley, UT

Helper, UT

Moab, UT

Springdale, UT

Torrey, UT

Know before you go

What to Bring:

• warm clothes

• headlamp or flashlight with a red light

• Dark Sky Passport

• pencil

• water & snacks

• star chart

• backpack

• blanket

• binoculars

• camera

Why do stargazers use red lights?

It takes 20 minutes for the human eye to adapt to the dark. During that time, our pupils dilate and our eyes produce a protein “rhodopsin” that helps us absorb light in dark settings. Red is the only color of light that will not interrupt our night vision.

Phases of the Moon

The moon orbits the Earth every 28 days. We can only see the part of the moon that is lit up by the sun. When the moon sits between the Earth and sun, the moon appears as a shadow, or “new moon.” As the amount of sunlight grows between the new and full moon, this is called “waxing.” When there is less sunlight hitting the moon, this is called “waning.”

Can you fill in all the phases of the moon?

• Waxing crescent

• First quarter • Waxing gibbous

• Full moon • Waning gibbous • New moon

• Last quarter • Waning crescent

Constellation Connections

Constellations are groups of stars. Some stars may be closer than others and some may be brighter. The constellations you see depend on where you are on Earth and where the Earth is along its path as it orbits the sun. Constellations change by the season, except those that occur around the poles. Only the stars on the dark side of the Earth can be seen. Many of the stars we see in the summer can’t be seen in the winter because they are on the same side of the sky as the sun.