Night Sky Viewing

Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS photographed shortly after sunset at Clubhouse Overlook.

Shaun Heise

Darkest Skies

Thanks to a century of conservation efforts in and around the area of the Current and Jacks Fork Rivers, Ozark National Scenic Riverways is largely devoid of light pollution. Along with parts of the Mark Twain National Forest, Pioneer Forest, Peck Ranch, and several Missouri State Parks, this makes ONSR one of the darkest places in this part of the Midwest and one of the best places to view the night sky without having to travel far out into the western U.S.

Fall and winter are the best times to view the sky, with longer nights and clearer sky conditions that offer an unparallelled view. In many locations, the Milky Way is easily visible with the naked eye, and fainter targets like the Andromeda galaxy can be viewed with better equipment.

Even at night, Ozark National Scenic Riverways is a great place to relax and renew in nature. Here, you have the opportunity to experience a feature of the natural world that has become all too rare. To learn more about the dark skies of ONSR, check out our Lightscape / Night Sky page.

 

A light pollution heat map of ONSR and surrounding areas with the best stargazing locations labeled.

NPS, using light pollution data from NASA

Places to View

Not all places along the rivers are completely free of light pollution. Some places that feel like they are way out in the wilderness still have a little skyglow from nearby towns. Even so, light pollution is minimal in many areas. Even Big Spring, with its relatively close proximity to Van Buren, boasts an impressive 20.99 mag/arcsec2 sky quality meter reading on a clear night.

The map shown here identifies some of the best places with minimal skyglow and open views of the sky. Some, like Big Spring and Alley Spring, are closer to nearby towns if you don’t want to drive far. Others are farther out and truly free of artificial light; places in the central area of the park, including Rocky Falls, Powder Mill, and Log Yard, are among the darkest but require a little more driving to reach. Keep in mind that developed campgrounds like Pulltite, Round Spring, Alley Spring, and Big Spring have more local sources of artificial light than less developed areas.

 

Star Gazing

By Becki Bulls, Park Ranger

Few sights are as awe inspiring as the star studded night sky when viewed from a remote area. The glow of city lights has robbed many people of this opportunity to enjoy this beauty. Take a moment to walk away from your campfire and gaze starward. You will be seeing the same view that inspired the dreams that one day led mankind to reach out into outer space itself.

Constellations are really just pictures in the sky using some of the brighter stars, kind of like “connect the dots.” To help you find your way around the night sky, there are some stars you can use to “point” to other constellations.

First find the Big Dipper. The two stars in the “bowl” point to Polaris, the North Star. Polaris is the last star in the “handle” of the Little Dipper. Now, follow the arc of the Big Dipper’s “handle” and “arc” your way to Arcturus, and “speed on” to Spica. Arcturus is at the bottom of the constellation Bootes the Bear Driver, which looks like an ice cream cone. Spica is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo the Maiden of Harvest, which looks like the letter “Y.”

Look directly overhead and find the three brightest stars. They form the Summer Triangle and each star has its own constellation. Deneb is the head of Cygnus the Swan, also known as the Northern Cross. Vega is part of the parallelogram shaped Lyra the Harp. And Altair forms the “diamond” shaped Aquila the Eagle.

By using the “star pointer” technique, and some imagination, you should be able to locate many constellations. If you see a really bright star that seems out of place, it is probably a planet.

Happy hunting!