Desert Update No. 87 Winter 2017
Where the Desert Meets the Sky
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park’s Dazzlingly Dark Night Skies
By Ashley Kvitek , ABF Education & Outreach Coordinator Photo: Andrew Shaver
Most visitors to Anza-Borrego Desert State
Park know that this place provides for a wide variety of activities like hiking, biking and offtrail exploration that offer the chance to find the solitude and serenity promised by a desert landscape. Whether your experience of choice includes a hike to the top of Indian Head Peak or relaxing with a copy of Desert Solitaire at Bow Willow, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park can provide you with the getaway you need. What you may not know is that nighttime is the right time to explore San Diego’s backyard desert! It isn’t until after dark that you get to enjoy a whole different suite of experiences. There are many nocturnal critters here in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and all you have to do is venture outside after dinner. When there’s still a flicker of light in the sky, you can watch the canyon bats come out to play, watch the Lesser Nighthawks hunt, and then after the sun dips below the horizon, you can see how many scorpions you can find! If you haven’t gone out looking for scorpions with a blacklight, it’s a thrill you couldn’t have expected. You may find scorpions to be much more abundant than you originally thought, making your next steps into the dark evening desert a l ittle more cautious than your last.
However, it is the dazzling night sky above the desert that can fill even the most jaded of visitors with a sense of awe and wonder at our immense universe. While the sun sets and night ascends, it brings a veil of bedazzled black velvet. The dark skies showcase the Milky Way like few other places are able- with a dark black background that makes each individual star and faraway galaxy pop with an intensity that never disappoints. It’s a great place for first time stargazers, as well as seasoned astronomers looking through advanced telescopes. And it isn’t just the stars! Our view of the moon is a spectacle not to be missed when it is at its fullest. Even the stars stand back to let it shine through the night, and when the moon is full, you don’t even need a flashlight to explore the wonders of the desert at night. The moon casts a bright light, giving the impression of daytime to the quiet nighttime landscapes. continued on page 3