Browns Canyon
National Monument

Dark Sky Park

What’s in the Night Sky at Browns Canyon National Monument?

Click Here to see What’s in the Dark Sky at different times during the Year.

Browns Canyon National Monument is a Dark Sky Park. Dark Sky International certified Browns Canyon National Monument as a Dark Sky Park in December of 2024. It is the only Dark Sky Park east of the Continental Divide that is not part of the National Park Service.

On a clear dark night you may see thousands of stars, other planets in our solar system and even our own galaxy, the Milky Way. Darkness does more than make the stars appear brighter.  Dark night skies help nocturnal animals hunt, hide, breed, and survive. Dark night skies are also important for people. They improve our sleep cycles; critical to physical and mental health. When we observe the night sky, we connect to our ancestors who did the same for countless generations.

All you need to observe the night sky is to look up. You don’t need a telescope or anything fancy to have a good time looking at the night sky. All you need are your eyes, maybe a cell phone app to help identify some stars and constellations and if possible an inexpensive pair of binoculars.

A nice dark night before the first quarter moon or 5 days after the full moon are great times to identify stars, constellations and observe planets. On evenings when the moon is shining bright the moon itself is really fun to observe. If you have a pair of binoculars you can see craters, mare (“seas” of basilitic lava), mountains and other features. Look along the line of the moon between night and day, called the terminator, for the best observing of craters, mountains and mare.
** A note on binoculars. The larger they are, the harder they are to keep steady. If you have a tripod and inexpensive adapter for binoculars it will greatly help to keep them steady.