How dark the sky is at Sgt. Alvin C. York: Bortle Class 3, rural sky
The zenith sky here reads 21.73 magnitudes per square arcsecond. That is about 1.3 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 Sgt. Alvin C. York by season
At latitude 36.5°N, the north celestial pole stands 37° above the horizon, close to Polaris. Every star north of declination -53° rises at some time of year. The Milky Way core in Sagittarius climbs to 24° 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, 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
- PegasusHigh in the southwest, brightest star Enif
- CepheusHigh in the north, brightest star Alderamin
Also well placed: Aquarius, Triangulum, Sagitta, Pisces, Delphinus, Lacerta, Equuleus, Vulpecula.
Showpieces from Sgt. Alvin C. York 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 Sgt. Alvin C. York
Only skim the southern horizon from Sgt. Alvin C. York
Never rise from Sgt. Alvin C. York
Where to set up at Sgt. Alvin C. York
The coordinates on this page point to Historic park grounds (Wikipedia infobox point), at 290 m (950 ft): 36.542°N, 84.960°W.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Open the larger map · Directions. Arrive before dark, park facing away from other observers, and use red light only.
Sgt. Alvin C. York among the dark sky places of Tennessee
Each dot is a dark sky place, colored by Bortle class; select one for its page. See Tennessee dark sky places for the full list, darkest first.
Camping and lodging at Sgt. Alvin C. York
The nearest town with motels or inns is Jamestown, TN. 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 Sgt. Alvin C. York
| Place | Where | Bortle | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pickett CCC Memorial State Park | Tennessee | 3 | 15 km (9 mi) |
| Obed Wild & Scenic River National Wild and Scenic River | Tennessee | 4 | 54 km (33 mi) |
| Fall Creek Falls State Park | Tennessee | 3 | 104 km (65 mi) |
| Kentucky Ridge State Forest | Kentucky | 4 | 104 km (65 mi) |
| Mammoth Cave National Park | Kentucky | 4 | 124 km (77 mi) |
| Bledsoe Creek State Park | Tennessee | 4 | 126 km (78 mi) |
| Harrison Bay State Park | Tennessee | 5 | 153 km (95 mi) |
| Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park | Kentucky | 3 | 160 km (99 mi) |
Star parties near Sgt. Alvin C. York
| Star party | Near | Distance | Usual timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Bank Star Quest | Green Bank, West Virginia | 500 km (310 mi) | Summer |
| Almost Heaven Star Party | Riverton, West Virginia | 535 km (332 mi) | New-moon weekend in August |
| Midsouth Stargaze | French Camp, Mississippi | 542 km (337 mi) | Spring |
| Shenandoah Night Sky Festival | Luray, Virginia | 616 km (383 mi) | Late summer |
Planning a trip? Astrotourism in Tennessee 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 Sgt. Alvin C. York
Observatories within 100 km
- Tamke-Allan ObservatoryRoane County, Tennessee, 79 km (49 mi), open to the public
Nearest astronomy clubs
- ORIONOak Ridge, Tennessee, 86 km (53 mi). Meets Monthly Wednesday, 7 pm
- Knoxville Observers Astronomy ClubKnoxville, Tennessee, 112 km (69 mi)
- Cumberland Astronomical SocietyGallatin, Tennessee, 134 km (84 mi). Meets Hendersonville Public Library, Hendersonville TN
- Bluegrass Amateur Astronomy ClubLexington, Kentucky, 171 km (106 mi)
- Barnard Astronomical SocietyChattanooga, Tennessee, 172 km (107 mi). Meets Monthly, 6 pm social
See observatories and astronomy clubs in Tennessee. Local clubs often hold their star parties at dark sky places like this one.
Sgt. Alvin C. York record
Every value in the dark sky places dataset for Sgt. Alvin C. York
| Park | 609 |
|---|---|
| Name | Sgt. Alvin C. York |
| TypeLong | State Historic Park |
| Type1 | SP |
| Bortle | 3 |
| Statelong | Tennessee |
| State | TN |
| Web | https://tnstateparks.com/parks/sgt-alvin-c-york |
| Lat | 36.54222 |
| Lon | -84.96028 |
| LatLonSpot | Historic park grounds (Wikipedia infobox point) |
| Elevation_m | 290 |
| LandManager | Tennessee State Parks |
| Status | Open |
| Lodging | Jamestown, TN |
| Sources | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sgt._Alvin_C._York_State_Historic_Park |
| SQM | 21.73 |
From the site's dark sky places dataset (parks_q426). The sky by season is computed from the coordinates.