Explore The Night Skies In Voyageurs National Park

In its 2011 “A Call To Action” plan the National Park Service outlined a host of initiatives that it wished to pursue as the organization prepared to enter its second century. One of those was preserving the night skies so that visitors to the parks could continue to enjoy amazing views of the stars, the Milky Way and other celestial bodies. Dubbed the “Starry, Starry Night” plan, this initiative will actually be put into action this weekend in Voyageurs National Park.

Located in northern Minnesota, not far from the border between the U.S. and Canada, Voyageurs National Park is a remote and wild place. The park incorporates a series of interconnected waterways and dense Boreal forests that are home to moose, wolves, deer and even black bear. Located far from the lights of any town or city, visitors can get an unfettered view of the night sky, which is often clear and bright.

Tomorrow night members of Duluth’s Arrowhead Astronomical Society will gather inside the park where they will train their high-powered telescopes on the heavens. The event kicks off with a presentation inside the Rainy Lake Visitor Center where visitors are encouraged to gather at 8 p.m. Once that presentation is complete, the group will then head outside to observe the night sky starting at about a half-hour after sunset.

The event marks the start of the park’s Night Explorer Series, which includes a host of other stargazing activities throughout the summer. No fees or registration is required and a “Dark Ranger” will always be on hand to help facilitate the programs. The full schedule of those events can be found by clicking here.

Video: Milky Way from the plains

Plains Milky Way from Randy Halverson on Vimeo, dakotalapse.com

I’m a sucker for a beautiful time-lapse video. Advancing technology has made the time-lapse approach to film-making accessible to more people. And as these visually-minded people try to hone their skills with the camera, Randy Halverson might as well consider his skills honed–as far as I’m concerned. This time-lapse video by Halverson features the Milky Way from South Dakota. Halverson spent the month of May putting this beauty together.

There’s something about the way a time-lapse video helps us to see things from around the world. There’s something spectacular about it, if it’s done right. Do you have any stellar time-lapse videos you’d recommend we see and perhaps publish on Gadling? Please let us know in the comments on this post if so.