Moab
UT (at City Hall)
38O34’ N Latitude 109O33’ W Longitude
4048 ft - 1234 m |
DARK SKY HAPPENINGS - June 2018
Moab Dark Skies mission is to promote the appreciation and conservation of Moab’s valuable and rare dark skies. The Moab Dark Skies was established by the Friends of Arches and Canyonlands Parks in conjunction with the National Park Service and Utah State Parks Division of Natural Resources.
The Dark Belongs To You
Sunrise-Sunset
for June
(The time of sunrise and sunset assumes a flat horizon. Actual time may vary depending upon the landscape.) |
1 |
5:55 am |
8:36 pm |
2 |
5:55 am |
8:37 pm |
3 |
5:54 am |
8:38 pm |
4 |
5:54 am |
8:38 pm |
5 |
5:54 am |
8:39 pm |
6 |
5:54 am |
8:39 pm |
7 |
5:53 am |
8:40 pm |
8 |
5:53 am |
8:41 pm |
9 |
5:53 am |
8:41 pm |
10 |
5:53 am |
8:42 pm |
11 |
5:53 am |
8:42 pm |
12 |
5:53 am |
8:43 pm |
13 |
5:53 am |
8:43 pm |
14 |
5:53 am |
8:43 pm |
15 |
5:53 am |
8:44 pm |
16 |
5:53 am |
8:44 pm |
17 |
5:53 am |
8:44 pm |
18 |
5:53 am |
8:45 pm |
19 |
5:53 am |
8:45 pm |
20 |
5:53 am |
8:45 pm |
21 |
5:54 am |
8:45 pm |
22 |
5:54 am |
8:46 pm |
23 |
5:54 am |
8:46 pm |
24 |
5:54 am |
8:46 pm |
25 |
5:55 am |
8:46 pm |
26 |
5:55 am |
8:46 pm |
27 |
5:55 am |
8:46 pm |
28 |
5:56 am |
8:46 pm |
29 |
5:56 am |
8:46 pm |
30 |
5:57 am |
8:46 pm |
|
The night skies have ever held our intrigue. Looking up at a clear sky filled with diamond lights and the arcing dust cloud of the Milky Way, my breath catches in my throat. Timelessness. Stillness. Oneness. All experiences of the night sky
Growing up in Moab, I could see the Milky Way Galaxy almost every night. Above me were always billions of bright, twinkling lights illuminating my imagination. I couldn’t fathom counting them because I knew it would be impossible. But I created my own constellations and named stars; I watched for satellites and meteors.
Looking up and seeing the vastness of the universe before my very eyes made a pronounced impact on my life as a child. Now as an adult, I feel unsteady and a little nervous when I’m looking into the night sky, for it provokes the understanding that I’m in the corner of an infinite universe of planets and galaxies, moons and black holes. There is an element of mystery and uncertainty to the starry night sky. What is the universe but the greatest of all questions, the one that we will never fully understand? The night sky is powerful.
When we see the night sky, we’re suddenly acutely aware of our place within the universe. In today’s fast-paced society, these experiences can be important for grounding ourselves. When we experience awe, we realize that we’re not the center of the universe. As we once thought the Sun revolved around us, we tend to think so does the world. But we seek to belong, to find meaning in our lives, and to connect with something larger than ourselves. The night sky does all of this for us. It’s important to look up from our self-centric lives to connect ourselves to the bigger picture. The red iron in our blood comes from the supernova explosion of the stars. We came from the stars, and are intrinsically connected to them more than we are aware. The universe is us, so let’s stay in touch with it.
Bettymaya Foott is the Coordinator of the Colorado Dark Sky Cooperative.
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