How dark the sky is at Chattahoochee: Bortle Class 3, rural sky
The zenith sky here reads 21.77 magnitudes per square arcsecond. That is about 1.2 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 Chattahoochee by season
At latitude 31.0°N, the north celestial pole stands 31° above the horizon, close to Polaris. Every star north of declination -59° rises at some time of year. The Milky Way core in Sagittarius climbs to 30° 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 MinorHigh in the southeast, brightest star Procyon
- TaurusHigh in the southwest, brightest star Aldebaran
- GeminiOverhead, brightest star Pollux
- Ursa MajorIn the northeast, brightest star Alioth
- PerseusHigh in the northwest, brightest star Mirfak
- AriesIn the west, brightest star Hamal
Also well placed: Cassiopeia, Lepus, Triangulum, Lynx, Cancer, Monoceros, Camelopardalis.
April evenings (spring): Bootes, Virgo, and Leo
- BootesIn the east, brightest star Arcturus
- VirgoIn the southeast, brightest star Spica
- LeoHigh in the southwest, brightest star Regulus
- Ursa MajorHigh in the northwest, brightest star Alioth
- Ursa MinorIn the north, brightest star Polaris
- Corona BorealisIn the east, brightest star Alphecca
- CorvusIn the south, brightest star Gienah
- Canes VenaticiOverhead, brightest star Cor Caroli
Also well placed: Lynx, Cancer, Crater, Leo Minor, 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 northeast, brightest star Deneb
- Ursa MinorIn the north, brightest star Polaris
- OphiuchusHigh in the south, brightest star Rasalhague
- Corona BorealisHigh in the west, brightest star Alphecca
- DracoHigh in the north, brightest star Eltanin
Also well placed: Serpens, Hercules, Canes Venatici, Sagitta, Delphinus, Scutum, Vulpecula.
October evenings (fall): Cygnus, Perseus, and Aries
- CygnusHigh in the northwest, brightest star Deneb
- PerseusIn the northeast, brightest star Mirfak
- AriesIn the east, brightest star Hamal
- CetusIn the southeast, brightest star Diphda
- AndromedaOverhead, brightest star Alpheratz
- CassiopeiaHigh in the north, brightest star Schedar
- PegasusOverhead, brightest star Enif
- CepheusHigh in the north, brightest star Alderamin
Also well placed: Aquarius, Triangulum, Sagitta, Pisces, Delphinus, Lacerta, Equuleus, Vulpecula.
Showpieces from Chattahoochee through the year
| Sight | Constellation | January | April | July | October |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andromeda Galaxy (M31) | Andromeda | In the northwest | - | - | Overhead |
| Orion Nebula (M42) | Orion | High in the south | - | - | - |
| Pleiades (M45) | Taurus | High in the west | - | - | In the east |
| Double Cluster | Perseus | 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 | - |
| Milky Way core | Sagittarius | - | - | In the south | - |
| 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 Chattahoochee
Only skim the southern horizon from Chattahoochee
Never rise from Chattahoochee
Where to set up at Chattahoochee
The coordinates on this page point to Chattahoochee Park, at 36 m (120 ft): 31.008°N, 85.033°W.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Open the larger map · Directions. Arrive before dark, park facing away from other observers, and use red light only.
Chattahoochee among the dark sky places of Alabama
Each dot is a dark sky place, colored by Bortle class; select one for its page. Diamonds are star parties. See Alabama dark sky places for the full list, darkest first.
Camping and lodging at Chattahoochee
The nearest town with motels or inns is Dothan, AL. 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 Chattahoochee
| Place | Where | Bortle | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seminole State Park | Georgia | 4 | 27 km (17 mi) |
| Kolomoki Mounds State Park | Georgia | 3 | 53 km (33 mi) |
| Blue Springs State Park | Alabama | 4 | 86 km (53 mi) |
| Geneva State Forest | Alabama | 3 | 110 km (68 mi) |
| Apalachicola National Forest | Florida | 2 | 112 km (70 mi) |
| Providence Canyon State Park | Georgia | 3 | 118 km (73 mi) |
| Tate's Hell State Forest | Florida | 2 | 123 km (76 mi) |
| Ochlockonee River State Park | Florida | 2 | 124 km (77 mi) |
Star parties near Chattahoochee
| Star party | Near | Distance | Usual timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange Blossom Special | Dade City, Florida | 410 km (255 mi) | Winter new moon |
| Midsouth Stargaze | French Camp, Mississippi | 484 km (301 mi) | Spring |
| Winter Star Party | Scout Key, Florida | 797 km (495 mi) | Winter new moon |
Planning a trip? Astrotourism in Alabama 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 Chattahoochee
Nearest astronomy clubs
- Tallahassee Astronomical SocietyTallahassee, Florida, 98 km (61 mi). Meets Monthly (usually 3rd Monday), 6:30 pm
- Astronomical Society of Bay CountyPanama City, Florida, 109 km (68 mi)
See observatories and astronomy clubs in Alabama. Local clubs often hold their star parties at dark sky places like this one.
Chattahoochee record
Every value in the dark sky places dataset for Chattahoochee
| Park | 3 |
|---|---|
| Name | Chattahoochee |
| TypeLong | County Park |
| Type1 | CP |
| Bortle | 3 |
| Near | Gordon |
| Statelong | Alabama |
| State | AL |
| Web | https://houstoncountyal.gov/parks/chattahoochee |
| Lat | 31.00750 |
| Lon | -85.03306 |
| LatLonSpot | Chattahoochee Park |
| Elevation_m | 36 |
| LandManager | Houston County Commission |
| Status | Renamed |
| StatusNote | Now Chattahoochee Park, run by Houston County after the state dropped it following Hurricane Michael (2018) |
| Lodging | Dothan, AL |
| Sources | https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/chattahoochee-state-park/; https://houstoncountyal.gov/parks/chattahoochee |
| SQM | 21.77 |
From the site's dark sky places dataset (parks_q426). The sky by season is computed from the coordinates.