Shooting for the Stars

Bryce Canyon National Park is thought to be a leader in the protection and appreciation of the night sky.  For over forty years, they have been working to share the beauty of the stars and our connection to them with park visitors.  We knew that we would be arriving at Bryce on the last day of their annual astronomy festival, and were eager to take part in all that it had to offer.  Only two nights away from a new moon, we couldn't wait to experience a truly dark night sky...  So we got up early and were packed and ready to roll as soon as Abby and Isaac were sworn in as Zion Junior Rangers at 8am when the Visitor's Center opened.  We made our way up and around to Bryce Canyon via I-15, the longer but much less bumpy route (see yesterday's post).  As a bonus, we got to check out the Kolob Canyons section of Zion in the park's northern section along the way - only accessible by I-15, not from the main part of the park.  Kolob was definitely higher up than the valley floor where we were camped, and we were already enjoying the cooler temperatures.

We got to our campground and got set up just before a big thunderstorm hit - complete with drenching rains and pea-sized hail.  I don't think Matt had ever been so glad to be inside eating a hot lunch listening to the rain on the camper roof rather than battening down the hatches outside of our pop-up....  Have I mentioned that we love our camper?  It's really starting to feel like home, and we're already dreaming up where we could explore next summer or other trips we could take with our new second home in tow.  Anyway, after the storm subsided and our bellies were full, we made our way into the park just a couple of miles away and did our standard information-gathering run.  As soon as we learned that there was a model-rocket building session that the kids could take part in, we were off and running...

At the rocket workshop set up back in town, we learned about all of the models and settled on the "Triton X" that we could all build together rather than each of the kids building their own rocket - it was bigger and would launch higher with a bigger engine than some of the smaller rockets...cool.  Abby and I were on the parachute construction team and Matt and Isaac handled the engine housing assembly.  Then we all worked to put the finishing touches on it before launch.  At the launch site (outside in the parking lot), the kids got to load it onto the launch pad and do a complete countdown before hitting the red button to launch...3, 2, 1...lift-off!  The rocket (which the kids named the Bryce Canyon Express) shot maybe a couple of hundred feet into the air before it began its descent - breaking apart into the two pieces and falling to the ground with parachutes attached.  It was an almost perfect launch and landing - it only suffered one torn parachute in the process.  Isaac was hooked immediately and is still asking about when we can do the next launch...  I think there might be more rocket launches in our future.

With the excitement of rocket launching behind us, we waited eagerly for the night-sky telescope viewing that would be taking place after dark - not starting until 10pm.  Now we've come to be on a much later schedule during the course of the summer, but not starting a program until 10pm was a little challenging - especially for Isaac.  But we all managed to stay awake and headed down to the viewing area to be there when it began.  There were a few clouds dancing through the sky, and maybe 30 or more telescopes all set up - waiting to reveal the secrets of the night sky.  We saw the planet Venus immediately upon arrival and Mars shortly after - both bright objects that look like stars, visible to the naked eye.  Then we saw Saturn through the first telescope we looked in and were all awed by the visibility of its rings.  Making our way from one telescope to the next, we managed to see several amazing stars and other formations - double stars, nebula, and dead stars (which Abby said looked like grey cheerios).  We heard tales about various constellations from an expert from UNC Chapel Hill and even caught a glimpse of the International Space Station flying through the sky.  But the most impressive sighting was the Milky Way - which neither of the kids had ever seen before. 

Did you know that two-thirds of Americans can no longer see the Milky Way from their backyards?  The light pollution caused by major cities and suburbs blocks it from view.  In a truly dark sky, there are over 10,000 stars visible to the naked eye...how many can you see tonight?  Bryce Canyon and other national parks have realized the treasure of the night sky and are working to preserve it - just as they preserve the geologic formations that mark its landscape.  Even with the clouds in the sky, we could see more stars than I've ever remembered seeing.  I can't wait to check out the night sky from our next stop - the North Rim of the Grand Canyon...

Tracy