How dark the sky is at Croatan: Bortle Class 4, rural and suburban transition
The zenith sky here reads 21.49 magnitudes per square arcsecond. That is about 1.6 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 impressive well above the horizon but loses its fine detail
Zodiacal light
Zodiacal light is visible but faint
Faintest naked-eye stars
Magnitude 6.1 to 6.5 overhead
Naked eye
Light domes from towns show in several directions; M33 is hard even with averted vision
At the eyepiece
Clusters, planetary nebulae and bright galaxies are fine; faint nebulae need a filter
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 Croatan by season
At latitude 34.9°N, the north celestial pole stands 35° above the horizon, close to Polaris. Every star north of declination -55° rises at some time of year. The Milky Way core in Sagittarius climbs to 26° 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 MinorHigh in the southeast, brightest star Procyon
- TaurusHigh in the southwest, brightest star Aldebaran
- GeminiOverhead, 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, Lepus, 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
- PegasusOverhead, brightest star Enif
- CepheusHigh in the north, brightest star Alderamin
Also well placed: Aquarius, Triangulum, Sagitta, Pisces, Delphinus, Lacerta, Equuleus, Vulpecula.
Showpieces from Croatan 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 | - |
| Milky Way core | Sagittarius | - | - | In the south | - |
| 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 Croatan
Only skim the southern horizon from Croatan
Never rise from Croatan
Where to set up at Croatan
The coordinates on this page point to Croatan NF (Wikipedia reference point), at 10 m (30 ft): 34.914°N, 77.056°W.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Open the larger map · Directions. Arrive before dark, park facing away from other observers, and use red light only.
Croatan among the dark sky places of North Carolina
Each dot is a dark sky place, colored by Bortle class; select one for its page. See North Carolina dark sky places for the full list, darkest first.
Camping and lodging at Croatan
The nearest town with motels or inns is New Bern, NC. 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 Croatan
| Place | Where | Bortle | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Lookout National Seashore Dark Sky Park | North Carolina | 3 | 58 km (36 mi) |
| Ocracoke Campground | North Carolina | 2 | 106 km (66 mi) |
| Pettigrew State Park | North Carolina | 3 | 114 km (71 mi) |
| Oak Island Beach Town | North Carolina | 4 | 147 km (92 mi) |
| Cape Hatteras National Seashore | North Carolina | 3 | 169 km (105 mi) |
| Staunton River State Park | Virginia | 4 | 247 km (153 mi) |
| Uwharrie National Forest | North Carolina | 4 | 275 km (171 mi) |
| Hampton Plantation State Historic Site | South Carolina | 3 | 291 km (181 mi) |
Star parties near Croatan
| Star party | Near | Distance | Usual timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shenandoah Night Sky Festival | Luray, Virginia | 419 km (260 mi) | Late summer |
| Green Bank Star Quest | Green Bank, West Virginia | 462 km (287 mi) | Summer |
| Almost Heaven Star Party | Riverton, West Virginia | 475 km (295 mi) | New-moon weekend in August |
| Cherry Springs Star Party | Coudersport, Pennsylvania | 753 km (468 mi) | June, near new moon |
Planning a trip? Astrotourism in North Carolina 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 Croatan
Nearest astronomy clubs
- Crystal Coast StargazersHarkers Island, North Carolina, 35 km (22 mi). Meets Monthly, 1st Wednesday
- Cape Fear Astronomical SocietyWilmington, North Carolina, 117 km (73 mi)
- Tar River Astronomy ClubRocky Mount, North Carolina, 139 km (87 mi). Meets Monthly, Saturday 3 pm
- Raleigh Astronomy ClubRaleigh, North Carolina, 175 km (108 mi). Meets Monthly Friday, 7:30 pm
See observatories and astronomy clubs in North Carolina. Local clubs often hold their star parties at dark sky places like this one.
Croatan record
Every value in the dark sky places dataset for Croatan
| Park | 757 |
|---|---|
| Name | Croatan |
| TypeLong | National Forest |
| Type1 | NF |
| Bortle | 4 |
| Statelong | North Carolina |
| State | NC |
| Web | https://www.fs.usda.gov/r08/northcarolina/recreation/groups/croatan-national-forest |
| Lat | 34.91444 |
| Lon | -77.05645 |
| LatLonSpot | Croatan NF (Wikipedia reference point) |
| Elevation_m | 10 |
| LandManager | USDA Forest Service |
| Status | Open |
| Lodging | New Bern, NC |
| Sources | https://ipfs.ssi.eecc.de/ipns/en.wikipedia-on-ipfs.org/wiki/Croatan_National_Forest |
| SQM | 21.49 |
From the site's dark sky places dataset (parks_q426). The sky by season is computed from the coordinates.