Heads up about light pollution at Cherry Springs State Park

I drove out to Cherry Springs State Park last Saturday night hoping to get some clear Milky Way shots. But when I got there around 11 PM, the sky had this weird orange glow on the eastern horizon. Turns out a new gas well site about 10 miles away started running bright floodlights 24/7. It washed out a lot of the fainter stars in my photos. Has anyone else noticed this getting worse at dark sky spots lately?

2 comments

2 Comments

victorbutler4d ago

I mean, I don't wanna be that guy, but calling it 'light pollution from a gas well 10 miles away' might be a little off. Light pollution from something like that typically falls off hard after a few miles, so a 10 mile distance would usually just give a faint glow at best. Maybe it's just me, but I'd check if there's something closer like new construction or a truck stop that's the real problem.

robinson.leo4d ago

A buddy of mine from work ran into the same thing at Cherry Springs about two months ago. He drove three hours to get there and ended up packing up by 1 AM because the glow was messing with his long exposures. He said it looked like a giant streetlight was hiding just over the trees. Drove around the next morning and found a new drilling pad with those tall LED towers that light up everything like a football field. Talked to a ranger who said it's been a headache since they popped up. So yeah, your mileage might vary but I'd bet that gas well is the culprit.