Friday was our national birthday up here in Canada, so that meant a long weekend for Canucks everywhere. It also meant a trip to the cottage for yours truly. I threw my family, a two-four, and a few clothes in the car; jumped on a northbound highway, and didn't look back. The weather was excellent all weekend long, providing perfect opportunities for campfires and swims in the lake. Without getting into excessive levels of detail, allow me to just say that the two-four got drank, some steaks got ate, and some relaxation got had.
On Sunday I had a hankering for the deep woods, and what better way to get close to nature than to trample it with an ATV*? Out came the Honda, on went the helmet, and off I went. There are all sorts of suitable trails for off-roading near our family cottage; trails that I used to hike all the time until the bear problem started to get worse in our area. One of them is the Old Stone Road, which I made a video about back when I first started riding.
Sunday's ride was beyond pleasant, except for the half hour I spent stranded in a mud pit fending off repeated attacks by Ontario's provincial bird. After winching myself out, I continued along the trail, eventually emerging onto a lonely little highway. And after winding down that quiet little road just a few more kilometers, I arrived at a very special place. Not that it was my first time there. If you just watched the video I linked to in the last paragraph, you'll witness the first time I discovered the Torrance Barrens Dark Sky Reserve. It's a swath of land in one of the darkest corners of populous southern Ontario, and it's been permanently set aside for stargazing. Of the 24 dark sky reserves in the world, it claims to be the first permanently designated one. Some of you may remember me briefly mentioning the reserve last year in the article Designing Darkness, in which I document my trip there to watch the Perseids meteor shower.
Now I won't lie and say that I've been to the location at night often, and that's for a couple of reasons. Firstly I don't have a proper telescope yet, and I've personally begun to find binocular stargazing to be somewhat uncomfortable and unsatisfying. Most of the stargazing I do, and I do a fair amount of it, I just do with the naked eye and a copy of Starmap Pro on my iPhone**, so usually the cottage itself is dark enough for those purposes. Second, as you'll notice in signs posted very clearly around the reserve, this is bear country we're talking about here. Thinking about safety in numbers, I'm always looking forward to major astronomical events similar to Perseids which are likely to attract crowds of enthusiasts to the reserve, but I'll be damned if I'm going to sit silently and alone in total darkness amongst ornery nocturnal behemoths. I mean, check out what happened the last time I went out in the woods with my truck.
Alright, the species of bear in my neck of the woods don't get that big. Nor do I own a truck, or have any friends that speak with that particular accent. But to face even a smaller bear, alone in the darkness, armed only with binoculars and a few Carl Sagan quotes? I'd rather not take my chances.
When I have been at the barrens under the stars however, the seeing was fantastic. The combination of minimal light intrusion, and unobstructed 360 degree viewing make it a great place to take in the heavens. As you'll instantly notice, despite being easily accessible by highway, it's quite a bit darker than your average campground or cottage area. People who have never been anywhere truly dark are often suprised by how 'alive' the sky can seem. My first reaction to a suitably dark sky is always to feel as is if I can perceive the heavens in three dimensions, or rather that I can see the differences in depth between stars. This is of course impossible, as the stars are so far away to make parallax undetectable. Especially to the naked eye observer, the night sky appears as a solid sphere with the stars embedded in it, which is precisely why the ancients thought that's what it was. Yet something about the deep darkness of the backdrop, combined with the sudden visibility of normally unseen faint stars gives the illusion of depth, at least to these eyes.***
The clearing exists thanks to the surface presence of hard granite, itself an interesting story for science-heads. Muskoka sits smack-dab in the middle of the pre-cambrian shield, so when you're standing on these rocks you're standing on material that was formed at least halfway back to the creation of the earth. According to the on-site sign "it has been under mountains, under seas and lakes, under tropical jungles and under miles of ice many times in it's history. Today it is under your feet." Here's some more snaps I took of the site, which also sports some great hiking trails and scenery. 
I'd really recommend that city-folk unfamiliar with truly dark skies become so, and the Torrance Barrens is a great place to start. Of course, not all readers of this page will be within a reasonable distance to travel to this part of the world, so I found this great website which lays out all the dark sky preserves in North America. Or, as always, you can just ask Wikipedia. Hopefully you can use them to find a stargazing spot near you.
The badge you see below was provided by Atilla Danko, and it's designed to give specific viewing forecasts for the barrens. He takes data from the Canadian Meteorological Center and scripts it into a view of the conditions at the Barrens only. More details and an explanation on how to read it here.
In 2009, as part of both the International Year of Astronomy and the 10th anniversary of the preservation of the site, the barrens were reaffirmed as a Dark Sky Reserve, so it appears as if it's not going anywhere. And if you have a look at the calendar on this site you'll find the major astronomical events of the year, like the Perseids on August 12th - 13th for example, during which you're sure to have lots of company at the barrens. (meaning no bears)
So whether it be the Torrance Barrens or some other place, why not get out and go stargazing this summer? Whether or not you have an ATV or just a minivan, a telescope or just an iPhone, a devoted interest in astronomy or just an average degree of curiosity, head outside the cities in search of darkness. I guarantee that what you find there will be enlightening.
*Yes, I'm linking to every damn thing in this article. Not sure why.
**I promise I'm not making a dime off that reco, but it really is an awesome (albeit pricey) app.
***Or rather, to this brain
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BradBlogspeed/~3/E1z1amFHsVs/a-place-to-see-stars
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