Photo of the Day

Bryce Canyon National Park. Take August 2006.

As regular readers of my blog are aware, I love taking photos and visiting our nation's national parks. They are truly something to behold, and my photos only capture the barest minimum of the beauty, grandeur, and majesty of nature in action.

Bryce is an amazing sight during the day, but at night, it turns into something else entirely. Bryce has one of the darkest skies in the Lower 48 states. Living in the New York metro area, we see only the brightest stars on a clear night due to the light pollution. Bryce is remote from any serious light pollution, and we happened to visit Bryce when the NPS was holding a stargazing program. From 9pm til midnight, we were treated to a tour of the constellations, various satellites crossing the sky, a glimpse of the International Space Station, meteor showers, and with the use of various telescopes, glimpses at the Whirlpool Galaxy, nebulae, and other star formations. Indeed, one didn't need the telescopes at all to catch the Milky Way transit across the sky.

I wish I could provide photos of that experience, but unfortunately that film did not get processed correctly. I guess that means I'll have to go back and try again.