This time of year we make a lot of last minute decisions to go out. Once in a while, it says clouds and rain, then turns out to be a pretty good night.

Our first night on Mt. Jefferson was clouded out for the most part, but we managed to get in a little outreach. Four of our volunteers supported this event. Special thanks to John LaShell, John Boston, David Heflin. A very special thanks to Ranger Emily Bunyea for allowing us to give it a try!

A second day of solar observing with 22 campers primed for a beautiful night of stargazing at 221 Access New River State Park. It is a beautiful night!

Finally, some clear cool weather! Ashe DSC gets some attention between closed sections of the parkway. An enjoyable gathering of most of our volunteers. #publichealth #astronomy #astrophotography #darksky

Daytime solar observing doesn't quite pack the same punch as evening sessions, but still fun on occasion.

YouTube video by The Daily Show Nick Offerman Is Sounding the Alarm: America’s National Parks Are Under Attack | The Daily Show

youtu.be/b7WvbSqbVBQ?...

Turn your porch lights off: 5 tips to support local firefly habitat As some fireflies face challenges from climate change and habitat loss, little changes can make a big difference - even in your front yard.

www.bpr.org/bpr-news/202...

We are grateful to all the full-time, seasonal, and volunteer staff at New River State Park for working hard to get the entire campground reopened this 4th of July. In celebration, while the community was enjoying fireworks, we helped the visitors get their first glimpses of the Sun and Moon.

Ashe DSC submitted to this contest. Please take a moment to vote on your favorites: capturethedark.us.launchpad6.com/contest2025/...

An evening at Raven's Rock to observe The Moon and Mars in the same field of view while promoting light pollution awareness.

Our own David Heflin captured this very nice image of the Iris Nebula from Ashe County. Still a dark county. I hope we can help keep it that way.

World's largest telescope unveils first images of distant galaxies in stunning detail: "Cosmic treasure chest" The debut images from a powerful telescope at Chile's Vera Rubin Observatory show distant galaxies and star-forming regions in spectacular detail.

www.cbsnews.com/news/largest...

Ashe DSC had an informal night at Price Park Picnic Area. Despite the high atmospheric moisture and haze, our visitors seemed pleased to see a couple of easy objects and learn about our efforts to keep Ashe County and other parts of N.C. dark for recreation, research, ecology, and public health.

App State awarded $367,088 National Science Foundation grant for telescope upgrades at Dark Sky Observatory A $367,088 National Science Foundation grant is funding major upgrades to the 32-inch telescope at App State’s Dark Sky Observatory. The upgrades will provide faculty and student researchers with an e...

today.appstate.edu/2025/06/06/dso

Our resident "Star Sherpa", John Boston is deep into tech for drive systems and open source resources such as "Onstep" (seen here). It's nice to have someone tech savvy on our team, ensuring we can provide some of the best outreach astronomical experiences around.

YouTube video by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert “A Man-Made Disaster” - Gov. Josh Stein On What Happens If FEMA Is Eliminated

Governor Stein speaking about Western NC and opening NC to tourism. Governor Stein, please recognize NC DSI and Ashe DSC!
youtu.be/vjolshzYvXc?...

Our co-initiator David Heflin was kind enough to provide the Ashe County Public Library with a 1 year subscription of Amateur Astronomy Magazine as well as a few copies of DSI's Nightscape. He is also donating a hard cover copy of Leigh Ann Henion's 2024 New York Times Bestseller, Night Magic.

We really love the lighting at the front of the Town Hall in W. Jefferson.

Ashe DSC was so happy to contribute to Leigh Ann Henion's "Night Magic" book signing. We hope we helped put a positive dent in how people apply outdoor lighting in the future for the benefit of humans and the essential parts of nature we rarely get to appreciate...for now.

After the sky opened up at around 10pm, the skies were fairly nice at the DSO last night. Once the June DSO event is scheduled, we will schedule 3 other events for June around it. Keep an eye on our weather predictions and events page: ashedarksky.org/scheduled-ev...

www.eventbrite.com/e/night-magi...

A conversation with David and Amy Heflin. Co-founders and members of Ashe DSC. Here they explain why they are passionate about making their community more aware of the effects of light pollution and helping push for international dark-sky community certification.
drive.google.com/file/d/1OQS-...

This is just the coolest graphic:
svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5276

BRC creates NPST link with protection of Mount Jefferson's northern slope JEFFERSON — Blue Ridge Conservancy has created another link to the Northern Peaks State Trail as it continues to preserve land for public access.

www.wataugademocrat.com/news/local/b...

#lightpollution #westernnorthcarolina #appstate #Boone Despite the clouds, the volunteers managed to put on a good show at App State's observatory for the NC Science Festival. Thanks to the director for allowing us to participate and show off the Moon and Jupiter.

It was a good night for practicing and getting some therapeutic interaction with nature as well as our viewing instruments. We have to constantly familiarize ourselves in order to provide good showings to the public and help them understand the negative effects of artificial light at night.

Current reading at Mt. Jefferson is 20.23 mag/arcsec^2. We can say that Mt. Jefferson is Bortle 5 and only 0.07 mag/arcsec^2 from Bortle 4. Image is from the Mt. Rogers National Rec Area just to the north which was measured with the same instrument to be Bortle 4.

Dark skies advocates seek celestial views away from human-made lights Daniel Caton is part of a movement that seeks to educate people about the downsides of light pollution and preserve places where the stars, planets and other phenomena of space can be seen by the nake...

www.wfdd.org/story/dark-s...

The Ashe Dark Sky Coalition is not a club. It is an initiative in which it belongs to any member willing to advocate to preserve North Carolina’s darkest corner – Ashe County. Anyone willing to advocate is welcome. Please join and follow for upcoming events.

ashedarksky.org