Heads up about light pollution at Cherry Springs

I drove 4 hours to Cherry Springs State Park last weekend specifically for the dark sky photos and ended up with orange gradients in every shot. Turns out a new gas well flare up about 6 miles south is washing out the southern horizon now. Has anyone else noticed this ruining their long exposures there lately?

3 comments

3 Comments

fiona_carr2612d agoTop Commenter

6 miles south and a gas flare is ruining the whole horizon. Guess I'll start bringing a flashlight to light paint the foreground since the sky is already blown out. At this rate Cherry Springs is going to need a new slogan like "come for the dark sky, stay for the orange glow.

fiona_kim9712d ago

I camped at the south end of the park last fall and honestly didn't notice the flare being that bad, but your mileage may vary depending on where you set up. @fiona_carr26 I've found that the north side or even heading up the dirt road past the state forest boundary gives you a cleaner view, especially if you wait until after midnight when the gas plant dials back. The horizon glow is definitely there if you're looking south though, no question about that.

willowr966d ago

Feel you on that, it's a real bummer when something like that kills an otherwise good spot. @fiona_kim97's tip about waiting until after midnight is solid, I've had way better luck that way too.