Astronomy Show

After the cave tour, I drove around other parts of the park, including the Baker Creek campground. I am glad I opted for the one I did, as Baker Creek was way more exposed and sunny. I also checked out the group campgrounds. Finally, I drove into Baker for a bag of ice before

I spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning out the cooler and seeing what I had left to eat. Hint: it was a lot! I also took down the tent, so I wouldn't have to do it in the morning.

I had an early dinner of Freetoh pie--one of my new favorite camping meals. Instead of using canned chili, I use ground beef, onions, jarred tomatoes, and cheddar. And of course, Freetohs!

I ate early since I wanted to go to the astronomy show at 8:30pm. The ranger at the , on center said that the parking lot fills up, so arrive 45 minutes to an hour early. I opted for 45 minutes before and sat in my car and read until 8:15pm.

Great Basin is part of the International Dark Sky sanctuary. They do all they can to preserve the night sky from light pollution. The road to the amphitheater was lined with red light to preserve night vision. At the amphitheater, the rangers were all wearing red glow sticks on their hats. It was a bit cloudy, so we weren't sure we would see many stars.

The presentation started with a talk about dark skies and what some places are doing to improve. Then he talked about some constellations and the history of naming them. He pointed out Gemini, the Crow, Scorpio, Cassiopea, and, of course, the Big Dipper. As time passed, the clouds began to clear, and we could see a bit of the Milky Way. I didn't know that the Milky Way Way a summer sight.

There were 2 astronomers with very powerful telescopes. We lined up to take a look. The first was a double star in Scorpio. The 2nd was a spiral galaxy that was very faint. While we waited, the ranger answered questions. I met a woman who was traveling to see as many national parks as possible. She was at 19.

It ended at 10pm, and I didn't get back to the site until 10:30pm. My headlamp was dead, so I had to light the Coleman lantern to take out my contacts and other ablutions. A fun evening!En savoir plus