Here’s Chaco Culture National Historical Park in northwestern New Mexico when it was dedicated as an International Dark Sky Park (Gold Tier) by the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) on April 24! It was a beautiful day as the ceremony unfolded behind the Visitor Center against the backdrop of Fajada Butte and the vast mesas surrounding the canyon. Then the activities switched to inside the center as cake was served, t-shirts were sold by Friends of Chaco and Tyler Nordgren of the University of Redlands signed books. An evening talk by Tyler was followed by a night of stargazing by The Albuquerque Astronomical Society under a very dark sky. Among the many park service people with amazing jobs, I met Nate Ament, who is the Colorado Plateau Dark Skies Cooperative Coordinator of the National Park Service- what a great job! Thanks to rangers Jim Von Haden and Katie Earp for writing the application for the Chaco Dark Sky status to the IDA, and for using 2 of my photos in the report. To see more about the designation: http://darksky.org/night-sky-conservation/338 (Click on pictures to enlarge)
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- International Dark Sky Park sign on Imaging Shed.
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- Rangers Katie Earp and G.B. Cornucopia.
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- Chaco Superintendent Larry Turk speaks.
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- Nathan Ament, Colorado Plateau Dark Skies Cooperative Coordinator speaks.
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- Tyler Nordgren speaks.
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- Tyler Nordgren speaks.
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- Tyler presents International Dark Sky Park award to interpretive ranger G.B. Cornucopia who heads the astronomy and night sky program.
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- G.B. speaks.
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- G.B. speaks.
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- G.B. shows off the award.
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- Festivities in the visitor center.
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- Lighting retrofit project poster.
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- Cake!!
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- Chaco poster by Tyler Nordgren.
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- Tyler autographs posters and books.
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- Nathan Ament, Colorado Plateau Dark Skies Cooperative Coordinator.
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- Gordon Schaefering from The Albuquerque Astronomical Society and Jim Greenhouse, Space Sciences Director at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science set up solar telescope.
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- G.B. shows astrophotos taken through the Chaco telescopes in the imaging shed during the Thursday star party.
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- Katie Earp gives an evening talk on Friday. Thanks Katie for using my Milky Way pic!
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- Katie Earp gives an evening talk on Friday.
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- Katie Earp gives an evening talk on Friday.
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- Zodiacal light is seen in the west during early hours of the star party.
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- Before and after lighting renovation shots of the visitor center.
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- Panorama of the Milky Way over Fajada Butte at 4:00am.
This spring I was at Chaco and left a copy of the poster that I made made of the crab Nebula and the great nebula pictograph with the understanding that I would give the copyright to the NPS. I told Cornucopia that. Please let me know if the Park is still interested.