Dark-Sky Sites: Washington   Sites: Ellensburg

Observing site: Table Mountain (site is used for the annual Table Mountain Star Party)

URL: http://www.tmspa.com/

Restrictions:   During the week of the Table Mountain Star Party, only people that have registered and paid are allowed in.

Directions: Map and directions are available on the web site for the Table Mountain Star Party: http://www.tmspa.com.  Click here to create a map using Google Maps.

Current weather:  

Clear Sky Clock © Copyright A.Danko

How are the sky conditions?   Decent.  The site is on the east side of the Cascade Mountains, at a high elevation.  This is the "dry" side of the mountains.

Typical naked-eye magnitude limit on a clear, moonless night: 5.5  At the zenith, dust lanes in the Milky Way are clear and distinct.  The double cluster in Perseus as well as the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) are obvious naked-eye objects

Best horizon (direction and approximate altitude cut-off):  East, zero degrees.

Worst horizon (direction and approximate altitude cut-off):   There is a small light-pollution dome along the southeastern horizon from the Tri Cities (Richland, Pasco and Kennewick).  The major (brightest) dome to the south is a combination of Ellensburg and Yakima.  To the west, a minor light dome can be seen from Seattle-Tacoma.   The western horizon is cut off about 5 degrees by mountains, however it is possible to go another mile to the end of the road and from the top get an unobstructed view to the west.

Comments from contributor:  Nice open meadow site, with trees surrounding, which are nice for camping.  One small campground with pit toilet is available. High elevation means the site has mosquitoes some times of the year, and also can be quite chilly even in summer.  Not accessible in winter.

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