How dark the sky is at Cuyahoga Valley: Bortle Class 5, suburban sky
The zenith sky here reads 19.71 magnitudes per square arcsecond. That is about 8.2 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 is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead
Zodiacal light
Zodiacal light is only hinted at on the best nights
Faintest naked-eye stars
Magnitude 5.6 to 6.0 overhead
Naked eye
Clouds are brighter than the sky; light sources show in most directions
At the eyepiece
Planets, the Moon, double stars and bright clusters are the strong targets
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 Cuyahoga Valley by season
At latitude 41.2°N, the north celestial pole stands 41° above the horizon, close to Polaris. Every star north of declination -49° rises at some time of year. The Milky Way core in Sagittarius climbs to 20° 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, 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 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, Camelopardalis, Vulpecula.
Showpieces from Cuyahoga Valley 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 |
At about 10 pm on the 15th of each month; a dash means the sight is below 25° then.
Never set from Cuyahoga Valley
Only skim the southern horizon from Cuyahoga Valley
Never rise from Cuyahoga Valley
Where to set up at Cuyahoga Valley
The coordinates on this page point to Cuyahoga Valley National Park (central valley), at 230 m (750 ft): 41.242°N, 81.550°W.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Open the larger map · Directions. Arrive before dark, park facing away from other observers, and use red light only.
Cuyahoga Valley among the dark sky places of Ohio
Each dot is a dark sky place, colored by Bortle class; select one for its page. See Ohio dark sky places for the full list, darkest first.
Camping and lodging at Cuyahoga Valley
The nearest town with motels or inns is Richfield, OH. 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 Cuyahoga Valley
| Place | Where | Bortle | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Observatory Park Park District Park | Ohio | 4 | 55 km (34 mi) |
| Fry Family Park County Park | Ohio | 5 | 67 km (41 mi) |
| Point Pelee National Park | Leamington, Canada | 4 | 114 km (71 mi) |
| Jesse Owens State Park | Ohio | 3 | 171 km (106 mi) |
| Burr Oak State Park | Ohio | 4 | 195 km (121 mi) |
| Cook Forest State Park | Pennsylvania | 3 | 196 km (122 mi) |
| Chapman State Park | Pennsylvania | 3 | 206 km (128 mi) |
| Clear Creek State Park | Pennsylvania | 3 | 207 km (129 mi) |
Star parties near Cuyahoga Valley
| Star party | Near | Distance | Usual timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Forest Star Party | Coudersport, Pennsylvania | 314 km (195 mi) | September |
| Cherry Springs Star Party | Coudersport, Pennsylvania | 314 km (195 mi) | June, near new moon |
| Starfest | Ayton, Ontario | 317 km (197 mi) | August new moon |
| Almost Heaven Star Party | Riverton, West Virginia | 331 km (206 mi) | New-moon weekend in August |
Planning a trip? Astrotourism in Ohio 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 Cuyahoga Valley
Observatories within 100 km
- Burrell Memorial ObservatoryBerea, Ohio, 30 km (18 mi), open to the public
- Wilderness Center ObservatoryWilmot, Ohio, 65 km (41 mi), open to the public
- Warren Rupp ObservatoryMansfield, Ohio, 92 km (57 mi), open to the public
Nearest astronomy clubs
- Cuyahoga Astronomical AssocNorth Olmsted, Ohio, 29 km (18 mi). Meets 2nd Monday monthly, 7:30-9 pm
- Astronomy Club of AkronAkron, Ohio, 29 km (18 mi). Meets 4th Friday monthly (Nov usually 3rd Friday; none Jun-Aug, Dec)
- Mahoning Valley Astronomical SocietyNewton Falls, Ohio, 49 km (30 mi). Meets Last Saturday monthly: Apr-Oct 8 pm at the club observatory, Braceville; Nov-Mar 6 pm
- Black River Astronomical SocietyLorain, Ohio, 50 km (31 mi). Meets 1st Wednesday monthly, 7 pm
- Wilderness Center Astronomy ClubWilmot, Ohio, 65 km (41 mi). Meets Monthly, last Friday
See observatories and astronomy clubs in Ohio. Local clubs often hold their star parties at dark sky places like this one.
Cuyahoga Valley record
Every value in the dark sky places dataset for Cuyahoga Valley
| Park | 474 |
|---|---|
| Name | Cuyahoga Valley |
| TypeLong | National Park |
| Type1 | NP |
| Bortle | 5 |
| Near | Cleveland |
| Statelong | Ohio |
| State | OH |
| Web | https://www.nps.gov/cuva/index.htm |
| EV | y |
| Lat | 41.24170 |
| Lon | -81.54970 |
| LatLonSpot | Cuyahoga Valley National Park (central valley) |
| Elevation_m | 230 |
| LandManager | National Park Service |
| Status | Open |
| Lodging | Richfield, OH |
| Sources | https://wikiwand.com/EN/Cuyahoga_Valley_National_Park |
| SQM | 19.71 |
From the site's dark sky places dataset (parks_q426). The sky by season is computed from the coordinates.