The Milky Way appears to explode from the Athabasca Glacier along the Icefields Parkway. © Yuichi Takasaka, blue-moon.ca
Have you ever wandered in Jasper National Park at night? Have you ever been in the wild of this wonderful place while others were sleeping? That is when the skies come alive... a magical moment that commands us to lying down, right on the ground.
On March 26, 2011 the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) officially designated Jasper National Park a Dark Sky Preserve (DSP). Encompassing over 11 000 km2, the park becomes the world’s largest preserve, the eighth in a family of Dark Sky Preserves within the Parks Canada network and the eleventh in Canada.
But what does this all mean once you’re lying down on the ground?
It means we’ll be able to do it again and again for years! The official status of DSP gives our park the responsibility of protecting and promoting the nocturnal habitat and visibility of the dark skies. It also means supporting responsible lighting, and encouraging public awareness and education programs.
Observing the night skies from Pyramid Island, one of the best places near Jasper to watch the stars.© Yuichi Takasaka,
blue-moon.ca
So this year, to celebrate the park’s new designation and the centennial of Parks Canada, Jasper National Park will develop innovative dark sky-related programs that will help visitors appreciate this great way of seeing our park. Forget about city lights and take our park roads to access excellent year-round star gazing sites. With 97% of the park designated as wilderness area, the opportunities are endless to get to this wonderful place of making one with nature. Pyramid Island and Athabasca Glacier are two outstanding road accessible sites within the park! Stop by and see for yourself!
To learn more about dark sky preserves in Parks Canada’s protected places, visit http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/nature/astronom.aspx.