How dark the sky is at Oak Mountain: Bortle Class 5, suburban sky
The zenith sky here reads 19.91 magnitudes per square arcsecond. That is about 6.9 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 Oak Mountain by season
At latitude 33.4°N, the north celestial pole stands 33° above the horizon, close to Polaris. Every star north of declination -57° rises at some time of year. The Milky Way core in Sagittarius climbs to 28° 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
- CorvusIn the south, brightest star Gienah
- Canes VenaticiOverhead, brightest star Cor Caroli
Also well placed: Lynx, Cancer, Crater, Leo Minor, 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
- OphiuchusHigh in 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 Oak Mountain through the year
| Sight | Constellation | January | April | July | October |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andromeda Galaxy (M31) | Andromeda | In the northwest | - | - | Overhead |
| Orion Nebula (M42) | Orion | High in the south | - | - | - |
| Pleiades (M45) | Taurus | High in the west | - | - | In the east |
| Double Cluster | Perseus | 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 Oak Mountain
Only skim the southern horizon from Oak Mountain
Never rise from Oak Mountain
Where to set up at Oak Mountain
The coordinates on this page point to Oak Mountain State Park, at 168 m (550 ft): 33.370°N, 86.702°W.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Open the larger map · Directions. Arrive before dark, park facing away from other observers, and use red light only.
Oak Mountain among the dark sky places of Alabama
Each dot is a dark sky place, colored by Bortle class; select one for its page. Diamonds are star parties. See Alabama dark sky places for the full list, darkest first.
Camping and lodging at Oak Mountain
The nearest town with motels or inns is Pelham, AL. 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 Oak Mountain
| Place | Where | Bortle | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weogufka State Forest | Alabama | 4 | 54 km (34 mi) |
| Cheaha Mountain State Park | Alabama | 4 | 84 km (52 mi) |
| Paul Grist State Park | Alabama | 3 | 90 km (56 mi) |
| Moundville Archaeological Park | Alabama | 4 | 96 km (59 mi) |
| Choccolocco State Forest | Alabama | 4 | 101 km (63 mi) |
| Talladega National Forest | Alabama | 4 | 115 km (72 mi) |
| William B. Bankhead National Forest | Alabama | 3 | 116 km (72 mi) |
| Tuskegee National Forest | Alabama | 4 | 143 km (89 mi) |
Star parties near Oak Mountain
| Star party | Near | Distance | Usual timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midsouth Stargaze | French Camp, Mississippi | 251 km (156 mi) | Spring |
| Orange Blossom Special | Dade City, Florida | 711 km (442 mi) | Winter new moon |
Planning a trip? Astrotourism in Alabama 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 Oak Mountain
Observatories within 100 km
- James Wylie Shepherd ObservatoryMontevallo, Alabama, 31 km (19 mi), open to the public
- University of Alabama ObservatoryTuscaloosa, Alabama, 82 km (51 mi), open to the public
Nearest astronomy clubs
- Univ of Montevallo Astronomy ClubMontevallo, Alabama, 31 km (19 mi)
- Von Braun Astronomical SocietyHuntsville, Alabama, 151 km (94 mi)
- Shoals Astronomy ClubFlorence, Alabama, 185 km (115 mi). Meets Friday evenings, 7-9 pm
- Mississippi State University Astronomy ClubMississippi State, Mississippi, 194 km (121 mi)
See observatories and astronomy clubs in Alabama. Local clubs often hold their star parties at dark sky places like this one.
Oak Mountain record
Every value in the dark sky places dataset for Oak Mountain
| Park | 8 |
|---|---|
| Name | Oak Mountain |
| TypeLong | State Park |
| Type1 | SP |
| Bortle | 5 |
| Near | Pelham |
| Statelong | Alabama |
| State | AL |
| Web | https://www.alapark.com/parks/oak-mountain-state-park |
| Lat | 33.37030 |
| Lon | -86.70190 |
| LatLonSpot | Oak Mountain State Park |
| Elevation_m | 168 |
| LandManager | Alabama State Parks |
| Status | Open |
| Lodging | Pelham, AL |
| Sources | https://wikiwand.com/en/Oak_Mountain_State_Park; https://www.alapark.com/parks/oak-mountain-state-park |
| SQM | 19.91 |
From the site's dark sky places dataset (parks_q426). The sky by season is computed from the coordinates.