How dark the sky is at Desengano State Park: Bortle Class 3, rural sky
The zenith sky here reads 21.87 magnitudes per square arcsecond. That is about 1.1 times the brightness of a pristine natural sky (22.0), the extra coming from artificial light scattered in the air.
Milky Way
The Milky Way still looks complex overhead, with some light pollution near the horizon
Zodiacal light
Zodiacal light is striking after dusk or before dawn but does not reach far up the sky
Faintest naked-eye stars
Magnitude 6.6 to 7.0 overhead
Naked eye
M33 needs averted vision; globulars M4, M5, M15 and M22 are naked-eye objects
At the eyepiece
Bright galaxies and nebulae show well; the faintest objects lose contrast low in the sky
Sky brightness and class come from the World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness (Falchi et al. 2016, CC BY-NC 4.0), with natural skyglow added. On the night, haze, smoke, humidity and the Moon set the real limit; see every Bortle Class 3 place.
What's up from Desengano State Park by season
At latitude 21.9°S, the south celestial pole stands 22° above the horizon. Every star south of declination +68° rises at some time of year. The Milky Way core in Sagittarius climbs to 83° above the southern horizon. These are the constellations well placed, 35° or more above the horizon, at about 10 pm in the middle of each season, brightest first.
January evenings (summer): Canis Major, Carina, and Orion
- Canis MajorOverhead, brightest star Sirius
- CarinaIn the south, brightest star Canopus
- OrionHigh in the north, brightest star Rigel
- Canis MinorIn the northeast, brightest star Procyon
- EridanusHigh in the west, brightest star Achernar
- TaurusIn the northwest, brightest star Aldebaran
- GeminiIn the northeast, brightest star Pollux
- VelaIn the southeast, brightest star Gamma Velorum
Also well placed: Hydra, Puppis, Lepus, Columba, Dorado, Pictor, Reticulum, Pyxis, Monoceros, Volans, Horologium, Fornax, Caelum.
April evenings (fall): Centaurus, Crux, and Virgo
- CentaurusHigh in the southeast, brightest star Alpha Centauri
- CruxHigh in the south, brightest star Acrux
- VirgoHigh in the northeast, brightest star Spica
- LeoIn the northwest, brightest star Regulus
- VelaHigh in the southwest, brightest star Gamma Velorum
- HydraHigh in the west, brightest star Alphard
- PuppisIn the southwest, brightest star Naos
- LupusIn the southeast, brightest star Uridim
Also well placed: Corvus, Libra, Musca, Circinus, Crater, Pyxis, Antlia, Coma Berenices, Sextans.
July evenings (winter): Aquila, Scorpius, and Sagittarius
- AquilaIn the northeast, brightest star Altair
- ScorpiusOverhead, brightest star Antares
- SagittariusHigh in the east, brightest star Kaus Australis
- Triangulum AustraleIn the south, brightest star Atria
- PavoIn the south, brightest star Peacock
- OphiuchusOverhead, brightest star Rasalhague
- LupusHigh in the southwest, brightest star Uridim
- LibraHigh in the west, brightest star Zubeneschamali
Also well placed: Serpens, Hercules, Ara, Capricornus, Indus, Circinus, Sagitta, Telescopium, Scutum, Norma, Corona Australis, Microscopium.
October evenings (spring): Piscis Austrinus, Grus, and Cetus
- Piscis AustrinusOverhead, brightest star Fomalhaut
- GrusHigh in the southwest, brightest star Alnair
- CetusHigh in the east, brightest star Diphda
- PegasusIn the north, brightest star Enif
- PhoenixHigh in the southeast, brightest star Ankaa
- HydrusIn the south, brightest star Beta Hydri
- CapricornusHigh in the west, brightest star Deneb Algedi
- AquariusOverhead, brightest star Sadalsuud
Also well placed: Tucana, Indus, Pisces, Fornax, Horologium, Equuleus, Sculptor, Microscopium.
Showpieces from Desengano State Park through the year
| Sight | Constellation | January | April | July | October |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orion Nebula (M42) | Orion | Overhead | - | - | - |
| Pleiades (M45) | Taurus | In the northwest | - | - | - |
| Carina Nebula | Carina | In the southeast | High in the south | - | - |
| Large Magellanic Cloud | Dorado | In the south | - | - | - |
| Omega Centauri | Centaurus | - | High in the southeast | In the southwest | - |
| Southern Cross | Crux | - | High in the south | In the southwest | - |
| Milky Way core | Sagittarius | - | - | Overhead | - |
| Hercules Cluster (M13) | Hercules | - | - | In the north | - |
| Ring Nebula (M57) | Lyra | - | - | In the north | - |
| Lagoon Nebula (M8) | Sagittarius | - | - | Overhead | - |
| 47 Tucanae | Tucana | - | - | - | In the south |
At about 10 pm on the 15th of each month; a dash means the sight is below 25° then.
Never set from Desengano State Park
Only skim the northern horizon from Desengano State Park
Never rise from Desengano State Park
Where to set up at Desengano State Park
The coordinates on this page point to DarkSky International listing point: 21.870°S, 41.800°W.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Open the larger map · Directions. Arrive before dark, park facing away from other observers, and use red light only.
Desengano State Park among the dark sky places of Brazil
Each dot is a dark sky place, colored by Bortle class; select one for its page. See Dark sky places outside the United States for the full list, darkest first.
Camping and lodging at Desengano State Park
Check the official site for campgrounds and overnight rules; many parks close their gates at night, so ask about after-dark access.
Dark sky places nearest Desengano State Park
| Place | Where | Bortle | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alto Loa National Reserve | Ollague, Chile | 1 | 2,761 km (1,716 mi) |
| Mano del Desierto | Antofagasta, Chile | 1 | 2,908 km (1,807 mi) |
| Río Hurtado | Pichasca, Chile | 2 | 3,027 km (1,881 mi) |
| Gabriela Mistral Dark Sky Sanctuary | Vicuna, Chile | 2 | 3,033 km (1,884 mi) |
| Bosque Fray Jorge National Park | Ovalle, Chile | 2 | 3,125 km (1,942 mi) |
| NamibRand Nature Reserve | Sesriem, Namibia | 1 | 5,863 km (3,643 mi) |
| Granadilla de Abona | Granadilla de Abona, Spain | 4 | 6,183 km (3,842 mi) |
| La Palma | Garafia, Spain | 2 | 6,186 km (3,844 mi) |
Observatories and astronomy clubs near Desengano State Park
Nearest astronomy clubs
- Louis Cruls Astronomy ClubCampos dos Goytacazes, Brazil, 50 km (31 mi)
See observatories and astronomy clubs around the world. Local clubs often hold their star parties at dark sky places like this one.
Desengano State Park record
Every value in the dark sky places dataset for Desengano State Park
| Park | 317 |
|---|---|
| Name | Desengano State Park |
| Region | Rio de Janeiro |
| Country | Brazil |
| Location | Santa Maria Madalena |
| IDS | park |
| URL | http://mapadecultura.com.br/headline/desengano-state-park-1 |
| Lat | -21.87000 |
| Lon | -41.80000 |
| LatLonSpot | DarkSky International listing point |
| Status | Open |
| Sources | http://mapadecultura.com.br/headline/desengano-state-park-1 |
| Bortle | 3 |
| SQM | 21.87 |
| DarkSky | Park |
| DarkSkyYear | 2021 |
From the site's dark sky places dataset (darkparksglobal_q426). The sky by season is computed from the coordinates.