Natural Bridges National Monument is the first national memorial in Utah . In 2007 , it also became the first recognizedDark Sky Park , earning a gold - star military rank for super good visibleness includingair glow , the Milky Way , and swooning meteoroid . sound of all , it ’s only$3 per week to confab .
Milky Way behind the Owachomo Bridge in Natural Bridges National Monument . range of a function credit : NPS / Jacob W. Frank
Before the bridges , the Natural Bridges National Monument was a blank - George Sand beach . In the Permian , 260 million old age ago , the sand construct up in dunes , make cross - bedding still visible in the rocks today . Fast forward millions of old age , with the ocean long - gone and the free sand compact and cement into sandstone . Sometime in the last few thousand years — since the last glaciation scoured the soil clear of delicate structures and free sediments — the curving meanders of a stream curve down sandstone into canon , andundercut canon into span and arcsthat give the parking lot its name .
Long - exposure capturingstar trailsas the Earth rotates . prototype quotation : NPS / Jacob W. Frank
Natural Bridges National Monument is not just a green for the geology , animals , and artefact — it ’s also an outflow from city igniter . While most citizenry in the United States can see only a few hundred stars when gaze up at the night sky , in this little niche of Utah , you may see up to 15,000 stars . Back in 2007 , the International Dark - Sky Association challenged the green to step their dedication to natural smasher up a notch by bringing their swooning pollution down , and they succeeded . More than 80 % of light fixtures were replaced with full - cut - off shielding to direct light down instead of allowing it to spill up .
faint pollution example for Natural Bridge and surrounding realm ( left ) . paradigm course credit : NPS . Light pollution monitoring photograph . persona credit : Night Sky Team .
How dark is dismal ? From the nighttime sky manakin of the car park and surrounding neighborhood , Natural Bridge is far away from the light - glow of nearby urban essence . A ready to hand mountain cluster protects the parkland from the major urban center lights to the magnetic north . When the Night Sky Team came to takelight pollution monitoring photographs , almost the total sky mapped onto the abstruse purple of the darkest sky , and not a single glimmering of bright - light whites , reds , oranges , or yellow made it into the survey .
To soak in some of these rightfully dreary sky , go camping in the park . It ’s exposed year - round , with 13 no - reservation camp web site . While enrol the park is $ 3 per someone per week ( or $ 7 per carload ) , camp land site are a bit more pricy at $ 10 per nighttime . The interpretative center has more information on maintain non-white sky , and volunteer break away astronomy program throughout the summer .
Pick up a sensational wallpaper ofOwachomo Bridge at Night on National Geographic , or read the born Bridge’sDark Sky Park software . I love dark skies , and thinkDark Sky Weekis a grotesque excuse to turn off the visible light .
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