234 Ranch Road 1050, Concan, TX 78838, US
Night Skies - Did you know?
What’s going on in the night sky this month?
- The highlight of the month might be comet, C/2023 P1 "Nishimura", first discovered on 8/15/23. It's expected to be as bright as the North Star as it passes by the Sun on September 17th. Look for it beginning September 9 before sunrise near the constellation Leo. By September 12th, the comet may be more difficult to see at sunrise and could be almost as bright as Mars. On the other hand, the comet could just fall apart as it approaches the Sun and not be visible at all. The next known bright comet, Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, is not expected until February of 2024.
- The moon passes near these notable celestial objects this September: 9/3 near Jupiter; 9/5 near the Pleiades; 9/10 near Pollux; 9/11 near Venus; 9/16 near Mars; 9/17 near Spica; 9/21 Antares; 9/27 near Saturn. September 14th is the new moon, and the full moon is the 29th, another supermoon. Mark your calendar for nights to view the sky with or without a moon.
- The September equinox is on the 23rd at 1:50am. In the northern hemisphere, this moment marks the end of summer and the beginning of fall as the Earth passes through the celestial equator.
- Meteors in September will not be as spectacular as they were in August. Be on the lookout for falling stars though. See more on coming meteor showers here.
- The September 1st skies get completely dark at 9:23pm and morning light starts arriving at 5:54am CDT. By September 30th, skies get fully dark at 8:44pm and darkness fades at 6:12am CDT.
- Mercury is a morning planet this month low on the eastern horizon near the constellation Leo an hour before sunrise. Venus starts September rising in the east at sunrise near Cancer moving to Leo. Mars will be setting in the western sky at sunset. Jupiter rises about midnight near Aries. Saturn will rise at sunset near constellation Aquarius and will be halfway across the ecliptic at about 1am. September is a great time to view Saturn's rings with a telescope.
You can see a lot with your naked eyes or a set of binoculars.
Start your September evenings by looking directly overhead in the evening sky. You should see a bright star, Deneb, in the constellation Cygnus, the swan. It's one of three bright stars of the Summer Triangle. The other two stars, Altair, in the constellation Aquila, to the southeast, and Vega, in the constellation Lyra, to the west. If your skies are dark and you can count six or seven stars in the little dipper, you should see a spectacular Milky Way crossing your sky. Follow from Cassiopeia, the big "W", in the north-northeast, to Sagittarius, the tea pot, and Scorpius, the scorpion, in the south. With binoculars, view the double star Dabih, in the constellation Capricornus, the horned goat. Its two stars are orange and blue. Also look for an asterism named Brocchi's Cluster, the Coat Hanger, in the constellation Vulpecula. In the morning, an hour or two before sunrise around September 7th to 12th, try to see the comet, C/2023 P1 "Nishimura". Look for a "Sky Tour" program given at the park occasionally when the skies are dark and the weather is good, or ask for a current month's sky map, at the Visitor Center. A good place to observe the heavens at the park is from the Excess Vehicle Parking Area just north of the Visitors Center.
Garner is in the path of TWO solar eclipses.
We have solar viewing glasses for sale at the Visitor Center.
The first eclipse that passes over Garner is on October 14, 2023, a Saturday! It's an annular solar eclipse that blocks all but a ring of light around the sun. The second and much more spectacular one is Monday, April 8, 2024. It's a total solar eclipse that will pass over Garner. For about 4 minutes and 30 seconds starting about 1:30 pm CDT, the land will go dark, and the stars will appear. If you want to visit or stay at Garner, park reservations will be required so mark your calendar to make reservations when they become available. Many lodging and camping sites in the Frio Canyon are already booked. Make your plans early. Check https://TheRealEclipse.org/ for local information for residents and visitors alike. Another website for the eclipse is National Eclipse | April 8, 2024 - Total Solar Eclipse. Here is NASA's site: Overview | 2024 Total Eclipse – NASA Solar System Exploration . The Hill Country Alliance also has a great webpage on the Eclipse, Hill Country Eclipse Portal | Welcome to Hill Country Alliance .
Check this site for weather expectations for the 2024 eclipse,
Eighty percent of the world population has never seen the Milky Way.
Seeing the Milky Way requires dark skies, skies that many don't ever see. Often before and after the new moon, while the moon is not shining, you can make out the Milky Way in our Garner skies. The Milky Way galaxy is made up of millions of stars. It is sometimes mistaken as a layer of clouds when first seen. The darker the skies the more magnificent the many stars stand out. Have you seen the stars from Garner State Park?
Our skies aren't as dark as they used to be.
New neighbors, new businesses install lights to light up their properties and light up the whole Frio Canyon in the process. From the top of Old Baldy, you can see light domes of Uvalde, Hondo, Bandera, Kerrville, and yes, even Concan and Leakey, Texas has their light bubbles. Let them know, "Illuminate only what is needed with only as much warm light as is needed." If you see lights shining upward or too bright, let's do better. If you want to continue to see stars, tell them you expect darker skies.
We are working on making our skies darker.
We want to make Garner an International Dark Skies Park. Unfortunately, it isn't currently dark enough. It takes some work, a real campaign. Educating our visitors, neighbors, students, businesses, and government officials; adding light shields; updating light fixtures; measuring, recording, and reporting light readings and other progress steps; getting the right color LED's; seeing what we can do to make the skies dark again. Interested in volunteering? Use the "Contact us" form at the bottom of the home page or call us at 830-232-5999.
You can help educate others to keep our skies dark.
Spread the word, set an example. Shine light only when and where you need it. Only shine as much as you need. Use the warmest color light to minimize light scattering. Do we really need a blinding flood light lighting the heavens at every barn, parked car, business sign, steeple, or flag? Here is a link to the International Dark Sky Association's (IDA's) webpage of outreach materials.
Friends of Garner has a telescope
While the scope might not be a large spectacular instrument, it generates oohs and ahs when viewing Jupiter, Saturn, or the moon up in the Garner night skies.
Several astronomy clubs come to view the skies above Garner. Check the park's calendars for other star parties, often held on a warm Saturday night around the occurrence of a new moon when skies are at their darkest.