One Of The Largest Public Telescopes In The Southeastern US Is In A North Carolina Garden And Observatory

A whole new field of view is unlocked when you treat the night sky as a wonder in its own right. Not every night sky is the same. Light pollution, altitude, and the equipment available for viewing can all take nighttime observation to a new level. Some places, like Oregon's Outback, have even been designated International Dark Sky Sanctuaries for the opportunities to see stars and planets. Many of the best stargazing destinations are out in the deserts of the West — Utah has more dark sky-certified spots than anywhere else — but the Mayland Earth to Sky Park in North Carolina offers a welcome East Coast complement to the constellation of places certified by DarkSky International (formerly known as the International Dark-Sky Association).

At the heart of the park is an observatory and planetarium, surrounded by the remote expanse of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The observatory has a large Newtonian telescope and the more humble Meade planetary telescope. Its location — in the Toe River Valley — has had a prominent role for stargazers and astronomers since the 1850s, when the local Burnsville Academy touted its tellurium (a predecessor to modern planetariums). Today's Mayland Earth to Sky Park was established over the site of a mica mine and was officially designated by DarkSky International in 2014. Aside from the observatory and planetarium, the park is also home to a picnic shelter, pollinator gardens, and an Aquaponics Lab, where you can learn about the niche technique of growing plants without soil (something that could theoretically support future colonies on other planets).

You'll find the Mayland Earth to Sky Park in the perfectly artsy, Blue Ridge Mountain town of Burnsville, North Carolina. The park is about an hour drive from the Asheville Regional Airport, which has arrivals from most major cities in the Eastern U.S. The planetarium and observatory are open in the afternoons from Thursdays through Sundays, though the park grounds are always open for stargazing. Of course, the observatory is a highlight, and if you want a chance to see the night sky through its telescopes, you can book a ticket for one of the park's community viewing nights, which vary depending on the moon cycle and sunset. While there, you'll get to look through the Newtonian telescope known as "Sam Scope," the largest public-use telescope in the Southeastern U.S. On some nights, you can even see the rings of Saturn. The park's planetarium also has weekly shows that range from surreal animations to informational explorations of coral reefs.

During the sunlight hours, be sure to check out the Mayland Earth to Sky Park's pollinator meadow. It's a lovely garden space near the entryway that welcomes bees and butterflies to sip nectar from its flowers. Nearby you'll also find two rain gardens. A gravel trail guides you through the gardens and arrives at a viewing terrace with a sweeping sight line across the mountains. Encircling the observatory, there are also "moon gardens" that feature white or light-colored plants specifically curated to glow under moonlight. So, it might be a good idea to plan your visit to wander the gardens in the daytime, then get to look through the telescope and explore the moon gardens after sundown.