Stargazing in Death Valley: a winter guide to a Gold Tier dark sky park
The visitor centre at Furnace Creek sits at 36.5° N, just 1.3° north of my balcony in Nicosia. Every star I can see from Cyprus rises and sets over Death Valley at almost the same altitude, so a trip there buys no new sky. It buys the same sky with the lights switched off. The park covers 3.4 million acres, about 13,800 km², and DarkSky International rates it a Gold Tier Dark Sky Park, its top grade. Winter is the season: long nights, mild days, and a dark-sky festival that lands on the new Moon in February 2027. ...