Polaris Andromeda Aries Auriga Cassiopeia Cepheus Cetus Cygnus Draco Eridanus Gemini Lyra Orion Pegasus Perseus Taurus Ursa Major Ursa Minor N E S W
The whole sky from Rockport at about 10 pm local time in mid-November (11 pm on daylight saving time). Overhead is the center, north is at the top and east at the left, as seen lying on your back. The pale band is the Milky Way; the dashed line is the celestial equator. Select a constellation name for its page.

Dark sky place · Michigan

Rockport State Recreation Area

Rockport State Recreation Area is a state recreation area in Michigan. Its sky rates Bortle Class 3, rural sky, with a zenith sky brightness of 21.83 mag/arcsec².

Rockport in brief

Bortle class
3
Sky brightness
21.83 mag/arcsec²
Naked-eye limit
magnitude 6.6-7.0
Latitude
45.2°N
Elevation
185 m (610 ft)
Managed by
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Nearest lodging
Alpena, MI

Official site

How dark the sky is at Rockport: Bortle Class 3, rural sky

The zenith sky here reads 21.83 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

1 mag 8.0 21.99+ 2 mag 7.5 21.89+ 3 mag 7.0 21.69+ 4 mag 6.5 20.49+ 5 mag 6.0 19.50+ 6 mag 5.5 18.94+ 7 mag 5.0 18.38+ 8 mag 4.5 18.00+ 9 mag 4.0
The Bortle scale. Each panel shows the class number, the faintest star the naked eye reaches at the zenith, and the darkest-edge sky brightness reading of that class in mag/arcsec².

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 Rockport by season

At latitude 45.2°N, the north celestial pole stands 45° above the horizon, close to Polaris. Every star north of declination -45° rises at some time of year. The Milky Way core in Sagittarius climbs to 16° 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
  • OrionIn 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: Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Triangulum, Lynx, Cancer, Monoceros, Leo Minor, 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 MinorHigh in the north, brightest star Polaris
  • Corona BorealisIn the east, brightest star Alphecca
  • DracoIn the northeast, brightest star Eltanin
  • Canes VenaticiOverhead, brightest star Cor Caroli

Also well placed: Lynx, Cancer, 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 MinorHigh in the north, brightest star Polaris
  • OphiuchusIn the south, brightest star Rasalhague
  • Corona BorealisHigh in the southwest, brightest star Alphecca
  • DracoOverhead, brightest star Eltanin

Also well placed: Cepheus, Hercules, Canes Venatici, Sagitta, Delphinus, Lacerta, Vulpecula.

October evenings (fall): Lyra, Cygnus, and Perseus

  • LyraIn the west, brightest star Vega
  • CygnusHigh in the west, brightest star Deneb
  • PerseusIn the east, brightest star Mirfak
  • Ursa MinorIn the north, brightest star Polaris
  • AriesIn the east, brightest star Hamal
  • AndromedaOverhead, brightest star Alpheratz
  • DracoIn the northwest, brightest star Eltanin
  • CassiopeiaOverhead, brightest star Schedar

Also well placed: Pegasus, Cepheus, Triangulum, Pisces, Delphinus, Lacerta, Equuleus, Camelopardalis, Vulpecula.

Showpieces from Rockport through the year

SightConstellationJanuaryAprilJulyOctober
Andromeda Galaxy (M31)AndromedaIn the northwest--Overhead
Orion Nebula (M42)OrionIn the south---
Pleiades (M45)TaurusHigh in the southwest--In the east
Double ClusterPerseusHigh in the northwest--High in the northeast
Hercules Cluster (M13)Hercules-In the eastOverhead-
Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)Canes Venatici-High in the eastIn the northwest-
Ring Nebula (M57)Lyra--OverheadIn the west

At about 10 pm on the 15th of each month; a dash means the sight is below 25° then.

Never set from Rockport

Only skim the southern horizon from Rockport

Never rise from Rockport

Where to set up at Rockport

The coordinates on this page point to Rockport SRA (dark sky preserve), at 185 m (610 ft): 45.200°N, 83.395°W.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Open the larger map · Directions. Arrive before dark, park facing away from other observers, and use red light only.

Rockport among the dark sky places of Michigan

Apple River Canyon State Park, Bortle 3 Indiana Dunes National Park, Bortle 4 Eden Valley County Park, Bortle 4 Yellow River State Forest, Bortle 3 Clear Lake State Park, Bortle 2 Craig Lake State Park, Bortle 2 Dr. T.K. Lawless County Park, Bortle 4 Fayette Historic State Park, Bortle 2 Fort Wilkins Historic State Park, Bortle 2 Headlands County Park, Bortle 4 Hiawatha National Forest, Bortle 2 Hoeft State Park, Bortle 3 Isle Royale National Park, Bortle 2 Lake Gogebic State Park, Bortle 2 Laughing Whitefish Falls State Park, Bortle 2 Leelanau State Park, Bortle 2 Muskallonge Lake State Park, Bortle 1 Negwegon State Park, Bortle 2 Onaway State Park, Bortle 3 Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Bortle 2 Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Bortle 2 Sturgeon Point State Park, Bortle 2 Tahquamenon Falls State Park, Bortle 2 Thompson's Harbor State Park, Bortle 2 Wells State Park, Bortle 2 Wilderness State Park, Bortle 2 Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Bortle 1 Cascade River State Park, Bortle 2 George Crosby Manitou State Park, Bortle 2 Judge C.R. Magney State Park, Bortle 1 Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, Bortle 2 Temperance River State Park, Bortle 2 Beaver Creek Reserve, Bortle 4 Big Bay State Park, Bortle 2 Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Bortle 2 Chippewa Moraine State Recreation Area, Bortle 3 Copper Falls State Park, Bortle 3 Devil's Lake State Park, Bortle 4 Governor Thompson State Park, Bortle 3 Newport State Park, Bortle 2 Rock Island State Park, Bortle 2 Whitefish Dunes State Park, Bortle 3 Wildcat Mountain State Park, Bortle 3 Yellowstone Lake State Park, Bortle 3 Huron-Manistee National Forest, Bortle 3 Ottawa National Forest, Bortle 2 Lowden-Miller State Forest, Bortle 4 Palos Preserves Forest Preserve (Urban Night Sky Place), Bortle 7 Beverly Shores Dark Sky Community, Bortle 4 Hawthorn Woods Dark Sky Community, Bortle 6 Homer Glen Dark Sky Community, Bortle 7 Beaver Island State Wildlife Research Area, Bortle 2 Keweenaw Dark Sky Park, Bortle 2 Bluewater Outdoor Education Centre, Bortle 3 Bruce Peninsula National Park, Bortle 4 Fathom Five National Marine Park, Bortle 2 Killarney Provincial Park, Bortle 2 Lake Superior Provincial Park, Bortle 1 Manitoulin Eco Park, Bortle 2 Point Pelee National Park, Bortle 4 Bootleg Fall Star Party (star party) Bootleg Spring Star Party (star party) Great Lakes Star Gaze (star party) Rockport Michigan Rockport Michigan
Bortle 1 Bortle 2 Bortle 3 Bortle 4 Bortle 5 or brighter Class not yet rated Star party

Each dot is a dark sky place, colored by Bortle class; select one for its page. Diamonds are star parties. See Michigan dark sky places for the full list, darkest first.

Camping and lodging at Rockport

The nearest town with motels or inns is Alpena, MI. 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 Rockport

PlaceWhereBortleDistance
Thompson's Harbor State ParkMichigan221 km (13 mi)
Negwegon State ParkMichigan239 km (24 mi)
Hoeft State ParkMichigan348 km (30 mi)
Sturgeon Point State ParkMichigan255 km (34 mi)
Clear Lake State ParkMichigan262 km (39 mi)
Onaway State ParkMichigan370 km (44 mi)
Manitoulin Eco ParkTehkummah, Canada2122 km (76 mi)
Headlands County ParkMichigan4126 km (78 mi)

Star parties near Rockport

Star partyNearDistanceUsual timing
Great Lakes Star GazeGladwin, Michigan161 km (100 mi)September new moon
StarfestAyton, Ontario231 km (144 mi)August new moon
Black Forest Star PartyCoudersport, Pennsylvania597 km (371 mi)September
Cherry Springs Star PartyCoudersport, Pennsylvania597 km (371 mi)June, near new moon

Planning a trip? Astrotourism in Michigan 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 Rockport

Nearest astronomy clubs

See observatories and astronomy clubs in Michigan. Local clubs often hold their star parties at dark sky places like this one.

Rockport record

Every value in the dark sky places dataset for Rockport
Park321
NameRockport
TypeLongState Recreation Area
Type1SRA
Bortle3
StatelongMichigan
StateMI
Webhttps://www.michigan.gov/Rockport
Lat45.19970
Lon-83.39490
LatLonSpotRockport SRA (dark sky preserve)
Elevation_m185
LandManagerMichigan Department of Natural Resources
StatusOpen
LodgingAlpena, MI
Sourceshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockport_State_Recreation_Area
SQM21.83

From the site's dark sky places dataset (parks_q426). The sky by season is computed from the coordinates.