August is an ideal month to enjoy the night skies of beautiful Central Oregon! With Women Astronomers Day on August 1, Global Sleep Under the Stars Night on August 8 and the Perseid Meteor Showers August 12-13, there is something for every budding astronomer among us. It’s also a great time for us to honor one of our esteemed Women of Discovery, American astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt.
What makes the night skies of Central Oregon so ideal for stargazing? The area’s high altitude places us closer to the universe, we have minimal light pollution, ensuring the night sky remains unobstructed, our typically clear conditions mean celestial objects aren’t obscured by clouds, and escaping from city lights is relatively simple, leading to even clearer views of the night sky!
To enjoy all of this nighttime beauty, one need not venture far from home. Discovery West is perched right on the edge of the Deschutes National Forest, Shevlin Park and other ideal night sky viewing spots. One local favorite spot is the Skyliner trailhead parking lot, while another might be to drive the quick 25-minute drive up to Mt. Bachelor’s parking lot. Or just spread out a blanket in your backyard – the viewing promises to be spectacular this month!
For a closer look at the stars and meteors, consider visiting one of the area observatories. You could hop over to Worthy Brewing’s Hopservatory. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights the hopservatory is open for night sky viewing on an open house, first-come, first-serve format. No reservation required. While the brewery doesn’t charge for public viewing, it does suggest a $5 donation per person (cash or card).
Slightly further afield is the Sunriver Observatory. Viewings take place on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, and reservations are required. Nighttime visits include night sky viewing through various telescopes, a guided constellations tour, meteorites displays and an educational presentation.
If you’ve never visited the summit of the McKenzie Highway outside of Sisters, August would be the perfect time to do so. There you’ll find the historic Dee Wright Observatory. At 5,187 feet elevation, this mountain observatory offers panoramic views across 65 square miles of black lava rock that looks so much like a moonscape that in 1964 NASA conducted drills with astronauts as they prepared to travel to the moon.
If you’re looking for more nearby observatories, be sure to explore Pine Mountain Observatory or Central Oregon’s newest observatory in Terrebonne, Asterisk Observatory.
All of this scoop on stargazing brings us back to American astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt, one of our Women of Discovery. Leavitt, who lived from 1868 to 1921, worked for Harvard College Observatory measuring and cataloging the brightness of stars. Her contributions allowed astronomers to accurately measure distances in intergalactic scale and paved the way for modern astronomy’s understanding of the scale and structure of the universe! With that, as we celebrate this astronomical month of August, let’s all raise a glass (telescope) to Henrietta Swan Leavitt!