Sky & Telescope - June 2019 - 63

and know how to use it, make noise as you
travel down the trail, and preferably hike in
groups of at least four.
For those who don't want to venture out
very far at night, they needn't hike into the
wild areas in order to gain a phenomenal
perspective of the night sky. Standing at
the southern edge of Lake McDonald near
Apgar offers amazing views of the northern lights (when they're active), as well as
a large swath of the night sky. Kintla and
Bowman Lake are equally stunning in the
North Fork valley, and standing at the base of Rising Wolf
Mountain in Two Medicine is just as remarkable. It's not difﬁcult to ﬁnd a good place to look up.

Be Ready for Anything
Just because Glacier is blessed with dark skies doesn't mean
stargazing is a sure thing.
"Trying to stargaze in the mountains is a delicate dance
between starlight, moonlight, and clouds," says Ashley. But
stargazers can use the Moon to their beneﬁt at times. "If you
want to learn the constellations, go out with a lot of moonlight. It washes out the dimmer stars and makes the brighter
ones stand out," he says.

In more recent years smoke from wildﬁres
has been increasingly problematic. "Smoke
can make an astronomical event exceptional
or keep you from even seeing it," Ashley says.
"It can add a reddish color, or it might make (stars) invisible."
Ashley believes that the smoke from western ﬁres is going
to be the new reality for stargazing in the park, particularly
later in the summer. There have been ﬁres in Glacier nearly
every year since 1910, but the magnitude of the ﬁres has
increased over the past several years. It's a consideration visitors need to understand when they're planning their trip.
Regardless of the season, Glacier National Park is a special
place at night. You might have to contend with the extended
sunlight during the glorious summer days, brave the brisk but
long winter nights, or visit in the shoulder seasons when the
weather is a wild card. But every visit brings a new perspective
and greater appreciation of the spectacular scenery above us.

¢ AMY GRISAK is a freelance writer and photographer specializing in gardening, cooking, and sustainable lifestyles, as well
as anything to do with the beautiful Montana outdoors.

FIRE: NPS / JACOB W. FR A NK / PUBLIC DO M AIN;
STAR TR AILS: JOHN ASHLE Y

q OPTICAL ILLUSION The night sky appears to circle around Polaris,
the North Star, in this time-lapse image over Lake McDonald. But it's
really the Earth's rotation that creates the circular star trails.

t DANGEROUS REALITY Forest fires are a fact
of life in Glacier National Park, and the threat and
presence of fire has only increased in recent years.
Wildfires often cloak the landscape in dense smoke,
but occasionally their glow can lend an unplanned
element to the scene, as in this view captured of the
2015 Thompson Fire from Hidden Lake Nature Trail
at Logan Pass.

sk yandtele scope.com * J U N E 2 019

http://www.skyandtelescope.com

Sky & Telescope - June 2019

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