Polaris Andromeda Aries Auriga Cassiopeia Cepheus Cetus Cygnus Draco Eridanus Gemini Lepus Lyra Orion Pegasus Perseus Taurus Ursa Major Ursa Minor N E S W
The whole sky from Joseph H. Stewart 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 · Oregon

Joseph H. Stewart State Recreation Area

Joseph H. Stewart State Recreation Area is a state recreation area in Oregon. Its sky rates Bortle Class 2, typical truly dark site, with a zenith sky brightness of 21.94 mag/arcsec².

Joseph H. Stewart in brief

Bortle class
2
Sky brightness
21.94 mag/arcsec²
Naked-eye limit
magnitude 7.1-7.5
Latitude
42.7°N
Elevation
480 m (1,570 ft)
Managed by
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
Nearest lodging
Shady Cove, OR

Official site

How dark the sky is at Joseph H. Stewart: Bortle Class 2, typical truly dark site

The zenith sky here reads 21.94 magnitudes per square arcsecond. That is as dark as a natural sky gets: almost all the glow comes from airglow and starlight, not lamps.

Milky Way

The summer Milky Way is highly structured, with dark lanes visible to the naked eye

Zodiacal light

Zodiacal light is bright enough to cast faint shadows before dawn and after dusk

Faintest naked-eye stars

Magnitude 7.1 to 7.5 overhead

Naked eye

M33 is easy with direct vision; clouds show only as black holes in the starfield

At the eyepiece

Faint nebulae and galaxy detail come through well; this is a typical star party 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 2 place.

What's up from Joseph H. Stewart by season

At latitude 42.7°N, the north celestial pole stands 43° above the horizon, close to Polaris. Every star north of declination -47° rises at some time of year. The Milky Way core in Sagittarius climbs to 18° 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: Andromeda, Cassiopeia, 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 MinorIn the north, brightest star Polaris
  • Corona BorealisIn the east, brightest star Alphecca
  • Canes VenaticiOverhead, brightest star Cor Caroli
  • LynxHigh in 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, 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, Pisces, Delphinus, Lacerta, Equuleus, Camelopardalis, Vulpecula.

Showpieces from Joseph H. Stewart 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 Joseph H. Stewart

Only skim the southern horizon from Joseph H. Stewart

Never rise from Joseph H. Stewart

Where to set up at Joseph H. Stewart

The coordinates on this page point to Joseph H. Stewart campground, Lost Creek Lake, at 480 m (1,570 ft): 42.684°N, 122.619°W.

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

Joseph H. Stewart among the dark sky places of Oregon

Alvord Desert, Bortle 1 Arizona Beach State Recreation Site, Bortle 2 Bates State Park, Bortle 1 Cape Blanco State Park, Bortle 2 Cape Lookout State Park, Bortle 2 Cape Sebastian State Scenic Corridor, Bortle 2 Carl G. Washburne State Park, Bortle 2 Cascadia County Park, Bortle 2 Catherine Creek State Park, Bortle 2 Chandler State Wayside, Bortle 1 Collier Memorial State Park, Bortle 2 Cottonwood Canyon State Park, Bortle 2 Crater Lake National Park, Bortle 1 Emigrant Springs State Heritage Area, Bortle 2 Fort Rock State Natural Area, Bortle 1 Golden & Silver Falls State Natural Area, Bortle 2 Goose Lake State Recreation Area, Bortle 1 Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, Bortle 1 Hug Point State Recreation Site, Bortle 2 Humbug Mountain State Park, Bortle 2 Jackson F. Kimball State Recreation Site, Bortle 2 John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Bortle 1 Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Bortle 1 Minam State Recreation Area, Bortle 2 Ochoco National Forest, Bortle 1 Prineville Reservoir State Park, Bortle 2 Saddle Mountain State Natural Area, Bortle 2 Sitka Sedge State Natural Area, Bortle 2 Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area, Bortle 1 Stonefield Beach State Recreation Site, Bortle 2 Tokatee Klootchman State Natural Site, Bortle 2 Umpqua National Forest, Bortle 2 Unity Lake State Recreation Site, Bortle 2 Wallowa Lake State Park, Bortle 2 Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, Bortle 2 White River Falls State Park, Bortle 2 Willamette National Forest, Bortle 2 Brooks Memorial State Park, Bortle 2 Camp Wooten State Park, Bortle 2 Fields Spring State Park, Bortle 2 Mt Adams, Bortle 2 Deschutes National Forest, Bortle 2 Fremont-Winema National Forest, Bortle 1 Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Bortle 2 Malheur National Forest, Bortle 1 Mt. Hood National Forest, Bortle 3 Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, Bortle 3 Siuslaw National Forest, Bortle 3 Umatilla National Forest, Bortle 2 Tillamook State Forest, Bortle 3 Oregon Outback Dark Sky Sanctuary, Bortle 1 Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve Dark Sky Park, Bortle 2 Sisters, Oregon Dark Sky Community, Bortle 4 Antelope, Oregon Dark Sky Community, Bortle 2 Oregon Star Party (star party) Joseph H. Stewart Oregon Joseph H. Stewart Oregon
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 Oregon dark sky places for the full list, darkest first.

Camping and lodging at Joseph H. Stewart

The nearest town with motels or inns is Shady Cove, OR. 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 Joseph H. Stewart

PlaceWhereBortleDistance
Crater Lake National ParkOregon146 km (29 mi)
Jackson F. Kimball State Recreation SiteOregon253 km (33 mi)
Collier Memorial State ParkOregon260 km (37 mi)
Umpqua National ForestOregon265 km (40 mi)
Rogue River-Siskiyou National ForestOregon367 km (42 mi)
Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve Dark Sky ParkOregon292 km (57 mi)
Klamath National ForestCalifornia2105 km (65 mi)
Fremont-Winema National ForestOregon1128 km (80 mi)

Star parties near Joseph H. Stewart

Star partyNearDistanceUsual timing
Golden State Star PartyAdin, California217 km (135 mi)Summer new moon
Oregon Star PartyPrineville, Oregon269 km (167 mi)August new moon
Idaho Star PartyMountain Home, Idaho565 km (351 mi)September new moon
Island Star PartyDuncan, British Columbia683 km (424 mi)August

Planning a trip? Astrotourism in Oregon 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 Joseph H. Stewart

Nearest astronomy clubs

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

Joseph H. Stewart record

Every value in the dark sky places dataset for Joseph H. Stewart
Park519
NameJoseph H. Stewart
TypeLongState Recreation Area
Type1SRA
Bortle2
StatelongOregon
StateOR
Webhttps://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=park.profile&parkId=23
Lat42.68429
Lon-122.61865
LatLonSpotJoseph H. Stewart campground, Lost Creek Lake
Elevation_m480
LandManagerOregon Parks and Recreation Department
StatusOpen
LodgingShady Cove, OR
Sourceshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_H._Stewart_State_Recreation_Area
SQM21.94

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