How dark the sky is at Mark Twain: Bortle Class 3, rural sky
The zenith sky here reads 21.84 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 Mark Twain by season
At latitude 37.6°N, the north celestial pole stands 38° above the horizon, close to Polaris. Every star north of declination -52° rises at some time of year. The Milky Way core in Sagittarius climbs to 23° 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 northwest, 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 MajorHigh in the northwest, 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 northeast, 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): 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
- DracoIn the northwest, brightest star Eltanin
- CassiopeiaHigh in the north, brightest star Schedar
- PegasusHigh in the southwest, brightest star Enif
Also well placed: Cepheus, Aquarius, Triangulum, Sagitta, Pisces, Delphinus, Lacerta, Equuleus, Vulpecula.
Showpieces from Mark Twain 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 west | - | - | 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 Mark Twain
Only skim the southern horizon from Mark Twain
Never rise from Mark Twain
Where to set up at Mark Twain
The coordinates on this page point to Mark Twain NF (Wikipedia reference point), at 300 m (980 ft): 37.637°N, 91.090°W.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Open the larger map · Directions. Arrive before dark, park facing away from other observers, and use red light only.
Mark Twain among the dark sky places of Missouri
Each dot is a dark sky place, colored by Bortle class; select one for its page. See Missouri dark sky places for the full list, darkest first.
Camping and lodging at Mark Twain
The nearest town with motels or inns is Eminence, MO. Check the official site for campgrounds and overnight rules; many parks close their gates at night, so ask about after-dark access.
EV charging
Electric vehicle charging is available at the park. More
Dark sky places nearest Mark Twain
| Place | Where | Bortle | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current River State Park | Missouri | 2 | 47 km (29 mi) |
| Sam Baker State Park | Missouri | 2 | 66 km (41 mi) |
| Broemmelsiek Park County Park | Missouri | 5 | 123 km (77 mi) |
| Stacy Park City Park | Missouri | 7 | 130 km (81 mi) |
| Trail of Tears State Forest | Illinois | 4 | 155 km (96 mi) |
| Ozark-St. Francis National Forest | Arkansas | 3 | 209 km (130 mi) |
| Buffalo National River | Arkansas | 2 | 217 km (135 mi) |
| Shawnee National Forest | Illinois | 3 | 237 km (147 mi) |
Star parties near Mark Twain
| Star party | Near | Distance | Usual timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bootleg Fall Star Party | Harmon, Illinois | 465 km (289 mi) | Autumn new moon |
| Bootleg Spring Star Party | Harmon, Illinois | 465 km (289 mi) | Spring new moon |
| Midsouth Stargaze | French Camp, Mississippi | 506 km (314 mi) | Spring |
Planning a trip? Astrotourism in Missouri 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 Mark Twain
Nearest astronomy clubs
- Eastern Missouri Dark Sky ObserversMarthasville, Missouri, 101 km (63 mi)
- Astronomical Society of Eastern MissouriLake St Louis, Missouri, 131 km (82 mi). Meets 2nd Saturday monthly, 6 pm general meeting with potluck (beginners 5 pm)
- St. Louis Astronomical SocietySaint Louis, Missouri, 133 km (82 mi). Meets 3rd Friday monthly, 7:30 pm
- River Bend Astronomy ClubHighland, Illinois, 174 km (108 mi). Meets Meetings at Salem UCC, 1117 W North St
- Astronomical Association of Southern IllinoisCarbondale, Illinois, 177 km (110 mi). Meets 2nd Monday monthly, 6:30-8 pm
See observatories and astronomy clubs in Missouri. Local clubs often hold their star parties at dark sky places like this one.
Mark Twain record
Every value in the dark sky places dataset for Mark Twain
| Park | 355 |
|---|---|
| Name | Mark Twain |
| TypeLong | National Forest |
| Type1 | NF |
| Bortle | 3 |
| Statelong | Missouri |
| State | MO |
| Web | https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/marktwain |
| EV | y |
| Lat | 37.63700 |
| Lon | -91.09000 |
| LatLonSpot | Mark Twain NF (Wikipedia reference point) |
| Elevation_m | 300 |
| LandManager | USDA Forest Service |
| Status | Open |
| Lodging | Eminence, MO |
| Sources | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain_National_Forest |
| SQM | 21.84 |
From the site's dark sky places dataset (parks_q426). The sky by season is computed from the coordinates.