Great Basin National Park
Celestron Telescope
Celestron Telescope
|
National Park
1986 Park Size 77,000 acres Annual Visitors 143,000 Park Fee none Superintendent Ashley Adams Park Partner Great Basin National Park Foundation Location White Pine County, NV |
Due to its remote location, low humidity, minimal light pollution, and high elevation, Great Basin National Park has some of the darkest night skies left in the United States. The park is certified at the gold level as an International Dark Skies Park and recently installed a high-level research telescope providing night sky information remotely to a variety of research institutions. Park visitors come from all over the world to tour Lehman Cave, see bristlecone pines, and hike to the summit of Wheeler Peak. At night, they come to see stars, planets, and galaxies that are difficult to observe in much of the country. To enhance viewing of the night sky, park rangers offer a wide range of astronomy programs for visitors.
The Fund for People in Parks provided a grant to purchase one Celestron CPC 1100 telescope, eyepiece, filter, mounting base, tripod, dark photoluminescent tape, and night vision LED flashlights to enhance visitor safety during their public astronomy programs. The telescope equipment was purchased in 2018 and is being used in weekly astronomy programs, meteor shower watching parties, and the annual Astronomy Festival. Project Cost: $3,500 Project Completed: 2018 Great Basin National Park and the Great Basin National Park Foundation are thrilled that you funded supplies for our astronomy programs. These new supplies will help thousands of park visitors each year learn about view, and feel inspired by the amazing dark skies at Great Basin National Park." |
