How dark the sky is at Harrison-Crawford: Bortle Class 4, rural and suburban transition
The zenith sky here reads 21.40 magnitudes per square arcsecond. That is about 1.7 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 Harrison-Crawford by season
At latitude 38.2°N, the north celestial pole stands 38° above the horizon, close to Polaris. Every star north of declination -52° rises at some time of year. The Milky Way core in Sagittarius climbs to 23° 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, Lacerta, 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
- AndromedaOverhead, brightest star Alpheratz
- DracoIn the northwest, brightest star Eltanin
- 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 Harrison-Crawford 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 |
| 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 Harrison-Crawford
Only skim the southern horizon from Harrison-Crawford
Never rise from Harrison-Crawford
Where to set up at Harrison-Crawford
The coordinates on this page point to Forest center, at 200 m (660 ft): 38.200°N, 86.300°W.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Open the larger map · Directions. Arrive before dark, park facing away from other observers, and use red light only.
Harrison-Crawford among the dark sky places of Indiana
Each dot is a dark sky place, colored by Bortle class; select one for its page. Diamonds are star parties. See Indiana dark sky places for the full list, darkest first.
Camping and lodging at Harrison-Crawford
The nearest town with motels or inns is Corydon, IN. 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 Harrison-Crawford
| Place | Where | Bortle | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferdinand State Forest | Indiana | 4 | 42 km (26 mi) |
| Deam Lake State Recreation Area | Indiana | 4 | 49 km (30 mi) |
| Clark State Forest | Indiana | 4 | 60 km (37 mi) |
| Blackacre State Nature Preserve | Kentucky | 6 | 67 km (42 mi) |
| Martin State Forest | Indiana | 4 | 67 km (42 mi) |
| Starve Hollow State Recreation Area | Indiana | 4 | 71 km (44 mi) |
| Beckley Creek Park Urban park | Kentucky | 5 | 72 km (45 mi) |
| Rolleigh Peterson State Forest | Kentucky | 5 | 72 km (45 mi) |
Star parties near Harrison-Crawford
| Star party | Near | Distance | Usual timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bootleg Fall Star Party | Harmon, Illinois | 471 km (293 mi) | Autumn new moon |
| Bootleg Spring Star Party | Harmon, Illinois | 471 km (293 mi) | Spring new moon |
| Green Bank Star Quest | Green Bank, West Virginia | 566 km (352 mi) | Summer |
| Almost Heaven Star Party | Riverton, West Virginia | 592 km (368 mi) | New-moon weekend in August |
Planning a trip? Astrotourism in Indiana 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 Harrison-Crawford
Observatories within 100 km
- Otter Creek ObservatoryBrandenburg, Kentucky, 29 km (18 mi), research observatory
- South Harrison ObservatoryLaconia, Indiana, 31 km (19 mi), open to the public
- Moore ObservatoryBrownsboro, Kentucky, 62 km (38 mi), research observatory
Nearest astronomy clubs
- Louisville Astronomical SocietyLouisville, Kentucky, 49 km (30 mi). Meets General meetings Friday, 8 pm
- Evansville Astronomical SocietyLynnville, Indiana, 87 km (54 mi). Meets 3rd Friday monthly (except Jun)
- Bluegrass Amateur Astronomy ClubLexington, Kentucky, 155 km (96 mi)
- Indiana Astronomical SocietyMooresville, Indiana, 155 km (96 mi). Meets Saturday nights at Goethe Link Observatory or Mooresville Public Library
- Rose-Hulman Astronomical SocietyTerre Haute, Indiana, 168 km (104 mi)
See observatories and astronomy clubs in Indiana. Local clubs often hold their star parties at dark sky places like this one.
Harrison-Crawford record
Every value in the dark sky places dataset for Harrison-Crawford
| Park | 862 |
|---|---|
| Name | Harrison-Crawford |
| TypeLong | State Forest |
| Type1 | SF |
| Bortle | 4 |
| Statelong | Indiana |
| State | IN |
| Web | https://www.in.gov/dnr/forestry/properties/harrison-crawford-state-forest/ |
| Lat | 38.20000 |
| Lon | -86.30000 |
| LatLonSpot | Forest center |
| Elevation_m | 200 |
| LandManager | Indiana DNR Division of Forestry |
| Status | Open |
| Lodging | Corydon, IN |
| Sources | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison%E2%80%93Crawford_State_Forest |
| SQM | 21.40 |
From the site's dark sky places dataset (parks_q426). The sky by season is computed from the coordinates.