“I loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.”
— Galileo Galilei
There is no doubt that I was a little nervous the first time I tried night hiking.
As I stood near a trailhead in Jasper National Park a few years ago with my two oldest sons, waiting for the rest of our group to get ready, we heard something pass by us in the darkness. We flipped on our headlamps just in time to see an enormous bull elk rushing past us into the woods.
My boys were excited but I was a little freaked out.
We took turns hiking at the back of the group and even though there were quite a few of us, I always felt nervous when my turn came up.
The best part of the hike came as we reached the edge of a clearing, sat down and turned off the headlamps. In the absolute darkness, the night sky was absolutely magnificent. It seemed that every corner of the sky was filled with stars.
We lay on our backs and looked at the heavens above. For the first time that night, I didn’t feel nervous at all.
If you have ever paused to gaze up at a truly dark night sky, you know that it is almost a spiritual experience.
What you might not know is that Canada has more designated dark sky preserves than any other country in the world. Last March, Jasper National Park received the official designation as Canada’s 11th dark sky preserve and the largest designated dark sky preserve in the world.
“Canada was the first country in the world to recognize the importance of developing a national parks system, and a century later we are leading the world in protecting and preserving the dark sky,” said Greg Fenton, Jasper National Park’s superintendent at a recent gathering to celebrate the new designation.
“Parks Canada works hard to ensure that Canada’s natural and cultural heritage is preserved. Part of that role is in preserving the natural wonders of the night sky.”
Parks Canada began working with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) in 2003 to preserve the integrity of the dark skies in Canada and the recent designation of Jasper National Park as Canada’s newest dark sky preserve was several years in the making.
The boundaries of the dark sky preserve take in the Town of Jasper and co-operation from the community was essential to achieving the designation.
“The night sky is one of our most incredible natural resources and it ought to be visible,” said Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland.
“Our town’s dark sky policy reflects a community initiative that is good sustainable environmental practice. Jasper National Park is the only dark sky preserve in the world with a community within its boundaries and we’re both proud and grateful for this designation.”
Those who have spent an evening in Jasper National Park and have taken the opportunity to gaze at the blazing night sky have already discovered the incredible beauty of its dark skies.
Now that it has been officially designated as the world’s largest dark sky preserve, the rest of the world will know it, too.
Jasper Dark Sky Festival
To celebrate the recent designation as the world’s largest dark sky preserve, the town of Jasper and Parks Canada will hold a Dark Sky Festival from Oct. 21 to 23. Organizers hope this will become an annual event. Here are a few highlights of the weekend:
• Dining in the Dark — Participating restaurants are offering Dark Sky-themed dining experiences.
• Parks Canada Space Cadet Program — astronomy talks, rocket building, solar viewing through telescopes, and kid’s craft stations are part of this fun day program for families.
• Astronomy presentations by guest astronomers will help guests understand the night sky and the universe better.
• A Telus World of Science Planetarium will be set up inside the Jasper Elementary School.
• Star Party in the Park — telescope viewing with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, astronomy presentations, guided night walks, and interpretive starlit wagon rides are highlights of this event at Pyramid Lake and Jasper Park Stables. A Star Grazing Dinner is also on offer with the advance purchase of tickets.
For more information on the festival and its activities, visit www.jasperdarkskyfest.com. Advance tickets are recommended for the dinner event.
If you go
The Jasper Park Lodge has declared the month of October to be Dark Sky Month and is offering special rates of $184 per night for the entire month, including the weekend of the Jasper Dark Sky Festival. They are also hosting a special Celestial Art Exhibition with coffee and treats in Mountain Galleries on Friday, Oct. 21, from 10 p.m. to midnight. More information can be found at www.fairmont.com/jasper.
Predicting clear skies
Clear sky charts are perhaps the most accurate and the most usable forecasters of astronomical observing conditions. They are based on a numerical weather model. To check out the dark sky forecast for more than 1900 observatories and observing sites in North America, visit www.cleardarksky.com.
Did you know?
There are three comets visible in our night sky during October and you can use binoculars to observe at least two of them if you don’t have access to a telescope. According to Telus World of Science Edmonton (edmontonscience.com), you can find these comets as follows:
• Comet Garradd (C/2009 P1) is a binocular object in our evening sky and is located in the constellation of Hercules.
• Comet P/Honda-Krkos-Pajusakova (45P) should be visible in binoculars in our morning sky for most of the month. It will be found for most of the month in the constellation of Leo, the lion.
• Comet Elenin (C/2010 X1) may also be seen in our morning sky and will be found in the constellation of Cancer until Oct. 20 and then moves through the constellation of Gemini from Oct. 21 to the end of October.
Debbie Olsen is a Lacombe-based freelance writer. If you have a travel story you would like to share or know someone with an interesting travel story who we might interview, please email: DOGO@telusplanet.net or write to: Debbie Olsen, c/o Red Deer Advocate, 2950 Bremner Ave., Red Deer, Alta., T4R 1M9.