So Sunday night, Kylene and I went to Cherry Springs state park found in north central Pennsylvania, around 2 hours from home. Cherry Springs is known for it's dark skies and is actually touted as having the darkest skies on the east coast. It was coined Pennsylvania's first "dark sky park" in 2000. Anyway, you get the idea. It's an astronomers haven.
I've been wanting to make the trip out for years. The weather on Sunday was clear skies and a comfortable 70 some degrees at night. Also, we are currently in the midst of the Perseid meteor shower, so that was a bonus incentive. We decided to make the trip. Anticipating what we were going to see, I asked my buddy 
^^^Nikon D90 ISO 1250/ f3.5/ 25 seconds
The skies were incredibly once the moon set around midnight. There was zero light pollution for miles around. On the clearest of nights, city folks can only see around a dozen or two stars... at best. Even in rural areas, almost everywhere in the country, people can see around 2,00o - 3,000. At Cherry Springs, on a clear, moonless night, however... you can see over 10,000 stars with the naked eye. I've seen the Milky Way before, but I've never seen it stretch from horizon to horizon. Also, we saw around a dozen meteorites from around 11pm - 2am.
^^^Nikon D90 ISO 2500/ f3.5/ 20 seconds
I'm looking forward to going back here, when the weather and moon is right. To give you another idea of how dark and incredible the skies are at Cherry Springs, the freaking Milky Way and stars are so bright that you'll cast shadows on the ground. Shadows when there is absolutely no other source of light. The park also has rules about using low light tools like red flashlights and it has built tall light barriers to block headlights and such of arriving or departing vehicles. Now that I've gotten a taste for this astrophotography, look for more of it in the near future!
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***Daily Nature Fix is a daily blog showcasing the natural world. It is all original content using photos, stories, and experiences from my own travels.***
