View Milky Way in Oregon: Tips for Naked Eye Viewers

  • Thread starter Thread starter Smartoad
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    milky way
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around tips and recommendations for viewing the Milky Way with the naked eye in Oregon, focusing on locations that minimize light pollution and maximize visibility. Participants share personal experiences and suggestions related to the best times and places for stargazing.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes that light pollution is a significant issue in Oregon, particularly on the coast, and seeks advice on better viewing locations.
  • Another suggests that mountains away from large cities may provide better viewing opportunities.
  • A participant mentions that areas east of the Cascades are preferable for stargazing and recommends using binoculars for enhanced viewing.
  • Someone shares their experience of clear night sky visibility in Maine, indicating that even in light-polluted areas, certain conditions can allow for good views of the Milky Way.
  • A participant from Coos Bay discusses local geography and the challenges posed by weather patterns, particularly during a La Niña winter, which may affect visibility.
  • Another participant suggests that the western horizon from Coos Bay should offer good visibility due to fewer lights in that direction and emphasizes summer as the prime season for viewing the Milky Way.
  • A resource link is provided for checking light pollution levels across the continental US, which may assist in planning viewing trips.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that light pollution is a concern and that locations away from urban areas are preferable for viewing the Milky Way. However, there are differing opinions on the best specific locations and conditions for viewing, as well as the impact of seasonal weather patterns.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about specific locations and conditions, such as whether Mount Hood is above the clouds and the implications of La Niña on visibility. There are also varying personal experiences regarding the best times for viewing the Milky Way.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in astronomy, stargazing, or those living in or visiting Oregon who wish to enhance their experience of viewing the night sky.

Smartoad
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
I live in Oregon on the coast, so not only do clouds get in the way, but so does light pollution (though I am sure light pollution is just about everywhere you go). Anyways, if there are any frequent viewers of the Milky Way through the naked eye out there, do you know of any places in Oregon that would make viewing the Milky Way easier?
 
Astronomy news on Phys.org
I am not acquainted with Oregon (I'm in NY) but I suggest mountains away from the large cities.
 
pretty much anywhere east of the cascades...
pretty much nowhere near the coast...
i would suggest you might try the top of the highest coast mountain peak near you, and also suggest you might try a pair of 80mm objective binoculars.
where are you on the coast?
 
Step out on my back deck (central Maine) on any clear moonless night. Even without any dark-adaptation, the MW, the Great Rift, etc, are immediately apparent. Andromeda nebula is easy naked-eye, too.

I have spent a lot of time in light-polluted places in my work, but I am always so happy to be back home at night.
 
well, I live in coos bay, and we have some mountains near us, or what seem to be just realllly tall hills compared to the three sisters that you can see in Bend (a city) but i may be able to get as far up as I can sometime soon, I've heard that winter evenings are the best for this kind of thing, but this years winter is a La Nina winter, meaning a lot more storms and a lot more rain. So not only will getting up there be hard, seeing as I am only 15 and trying to get on a mountain at night, but a clear night will be abnormally hard. If any of you know of mount hood, do you know if it rests above the clouds? because if it does then I could just make the trek to the top of mount hood and staying there a top priority on my list of things to do before I'm at and hopefully do that.
 
In Coos Bay (my sister taught school there for 20+ yrs) you should not have any trouble getting way from lights. I would think your western horizon should be very good, after all there are very few lights in that direction. I think of the Milky Way as being a summer time view, mainly because here in Oregon that is when we get to see the stars. But if you get a clear night in the winter you should be able to see it nicely. Refer to a star map so you know where to look.
 
its very glad to know all of you here, i m chinese, but i do hope to go abroad for widern eyesight...
hope we can be good friends!
 
http://www.jshine.net/astronomy/dark_sky/index.php"

That is a very good resource for finding the light pollution of areas around you. It covers the entire continental US.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Similar threads

Undergrad Abt seeing the Andromeda Galaxy with the naked eye in future
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
3K
Undergrad Orientation of the Earth, Sun and Solar System in the Milky Way
  • · Replies 142 ·
5
Replies
142
Views
137K
High School Where Do We Look When We See the Milky Way from Earth?
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
18K
Undergrad Why has no one seen Neptune with the naked eye?
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
17K
Graduate Seeing the milky way in it's past
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
3K
High School Question about our solar systems orbital path through the milky way
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
17K
Graduate What is the Breakdown of the Milky Way's Mass?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
Stargazing How can I safely view a solar eclipse?
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
5K
Graduate Modified Newtonian Dynamics vs. Quantum Gravity
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Undergrad Energy conservation in Doppler (NOT cosmological) redshifts?
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
3K