How dark the sky is at Green Ridge: Bortle Class 4, rural and suburban transition
The zenith sky here reads 21.54 magnitudes per square arcsecond. That is about 1.5 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 is impressive well above the horizon but loses its fine detail
Zodiacal light
Zodiacal light is visible but faint
Faintest naked-eye stars
Magnitude 6.1 to 6.5 overhead
Naked eye
Light domes from towns show in several directions; M33 is hard even with averted vision
At the eyepiece
Clusters, planetary nebulae and bright galaxies are fine; faint nebulae need a filter
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.
What's up from Green Ridge by season
At latitude 39.7°N, the north celestial pole stands 40° above the horizon, close to Polaris. Every star north of declination -50° rises at some time of year. The Milky Way core in Sagittarius climbs to 21° 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 (winter): Auriga, Orion, and Canis Minor
- AurigaOverhead, brightest star Capella
- OrionHigh in the south, brightest star Rigel
- Canis MinorIn the southeast, brightest star Procyon
- TaurusHigh in the southwest, brightest star Aldebaran
- GeminiHigh in the southeast, brightest star Pollux
- Ursa MajorIn the northeast, brightest star Alioth
- PerseusHigh in the west, brightest star Mirfak
- AriesIn the west, brightest star Hamal
Also well placed: Cassiopeia, Triangulum, Lynx, Cancer, Monoceros, Camelopardalis.
April evenings (spring): Bootes, Virgo, and Leo
- BootesHigh in the east, brightest star Arcturus
- VirgoIn the southeast, brightest star Spica
- LeoHigh in the southwest, brightest star Regulus
- Ursa MajorOverhead, brightest star Alioth
- Ursa MinorIn the north, brightest star Polaris
- Corona BorealisIn the east, brightest star Alphecca
- Canes VenaticiOverhead, brightest star Cor Caroli
- LynxIn the northwest, brightest star Alpha Lyncis
Also well placed: Cancer, Crater, Leo Minor, Camelopardalis, Coma Berenices, Sextans.
July evenings (summer): Bootes, Lyra, and Aquila
- BootesHigh in the west, brightest star Arcturus
- LyraOverhead, brightest star Vega
- AquilaIn the southeast, brightest star Altair
- CygnusHigh in the east, brightest star Deneb
- Ursa MinorIn the north, brightest star Polaris
- OphiuchusIn the south, brightest star Rasalhague
- Corona BorealisHigh in the west, brightest star Alphecca
- DracoHigh in the north, brightest star Eltanin
Also well placed: Cepheus, Serpens, Hercules, Canes Venatici, Sagitta, Delphinus, Lacerta, Scutum, Vulpecula.
October evenings (fall): Lyra, Cygnus, and Perseus
- LyraIn the west, brightest star Vega
- CygnusHigh in the west, brightest star Deneb
- PerseusIn the northeast, brightest star Mirfak
- AriesIn the east, brightest star Hamal
- AndromedaOverhead, brightest star Alpheratz
- DracoIn the northwest, brightest star Eltanin
- CassiopeiaHigh in the northeast, brightest star Schedar
- PegasusHigh in the southwest, brightest star Enif
Also well placed: Cepheus, Aquarius, Triangulum, Sagitta, Pisces, Delphinus, Lacerta, Equuleus, Vulpecula.
Showpieces from Green Ridge through the year
| Sight | Constellation | January | April | July | October |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andromeda Galaxy (M31) | Andromeda | In the northwest | - | - | Overhead |
| Orion Nebula (M42) | Orion | In the south | - | - | - |
| Pleiades (M45) | Taurus | High in the southwest | - | - | In the east |
| Double Cluster | Perseus | High in the northwest | - | - | High in the northeast |
| Hercules Cluster (M13) | Hercules | - | In the northeast | Overhead | - |
| Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) | Canes Venatici | - | High in the northeast | In the northwest | - |
| Ring Nebula (M57) | Lyra | - | - | Overhead | In the west |
| Lagoon Nebula (M8) | Sagittarius | - | - | 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 Green Ridge
Only skim the southern horizon from Green Ridge
Never rise from Green Ridge
Where to set up at Green Ridge
The coordinates on this page point to Forest center, at 282 m (930 ft): 39.665°N, 78.443°W.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Open the larger map · Directions. Arrive before dark, park facing away from other observers, and use red light only.
Green Ridge among the dark sky places of Maryland
Each dot is a dark sky place, colored by Bortle class; select one for its page. Diamonds are star parties. See Maryland dark sky places for the full list, darkest first.
Camping and lodging at Green Ridge
The nearest town with motels or inns is Cumberland, MD. 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 Green Ridge
| Place | Where | Bortle | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolf Den Run State Park | Maryland | 3 | 76 km (47 mi) |
| Trough Creek State Park | Pennsylvania | 4 | 77 km (48 mi) |
| Laurel Hill State Park | Pennsylvania | 4 | 80 km (50 mi) |
| George Washington and Jefferson National Forest | West Virginia | 3 | 83 km (52 mi) |
| Sky Meadows State Park | Virginia | 4 | 86 km (54 mi) |
| Monongahela National Forest | West Virginia | 3 | 103 km (64 mi) |
| Rappahannock County Park | Virginia | 4 | 109 km (68 mi) |
| Blackwater Falls State Park | West Virginia | 3 | 110 km (68 mi) |
Star parties near Green Ridge
| Star party | Near | Distance | Usual timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shenandoah Night Sky Festival | Luray, Virginia | 127 km (79 mi) | Late summer |
| Almost Heaven Star Party | Riverton, West Virginia | 142 km (89 mi) | New-moon weekend in August |
| Green Bank Star Quest | Green Bank, West Virginia | 182 km (113 mi) | Summer |
| Black Forest Star Party | Coudersport, Pennsylvania | 228 km (142 mi) | September |
Planning a trip? Astrotourism in Maryland puts the dark sky places, observatories, clubs, star parties, planetariums and science centers of the state on one map, with the best night out worked out.
Observatories and astronomy clubs near Green Ridge
Observatories within 100 km
- Morgan County ObservatoryBerkeley Springs, West Virginia, 25 km (16 mi), open to the public
Nearest astronomy clubs
- Cumberland Astronomy ClubGrantsville, Maryland, 42 km (26 mi). Meets 3rd Friday monthly, 7:30 pm
- Shenandoah Astronomical SocietyWinchester, Virginia, 59 km (37 mi). Meets Monthly, 4th Monday
- Tri-State AstronomersHagerstown, Maryland, 61 km (38 mi). Meets Monthly, Wednesday 7 pm (3rd Wednesday in 2026)
- Starlight Astronomy ClubAltoona, Pennsylvania, 94 km (58 mi). Meets 3rd Thursday monthly, 7 pm
- Westminster Astronomical SocietyWestminster, Maryland, 121 km (75 mi). Meets Monthly member meetings with guest speakers, open to the public (see club site)
See observatories and astronomy clubs in Maryland. Local clubs often hold their star parties at dark sky places like this one.
Green Ridge record
Every value in the dark sky places dataset for Green Ridge
| Park | 295 |
|---|---|
| Name | Green Ridge |
| TypeLong | State Forest |
| Type1 | SF |
| Bortle | 4 |
| Statelong | Maryland |
| State | MD |
| Web | https://dnr.maryland.gov/forests/pages/publiclands/western_greenridgeforest.aspx |
| Lat | 39.66528 |
| Lon | -78.44306 |
| LatLonSpot | Forest center |
| Elevation_m | 282 |
| LandManager | Maryland DNR Forest Service |
| Status | Open |
| Lodging | Cumberland, MD |
| Sources | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Ridge_State_Forest |
| SQM | 21.54 |
From the site's dark sky places dataset (parks_q426). The sky by season is computed from the coordinates.