On Dark Skies

The skies in Truckee seem so dark compared to the ones here in Palo Alto—and they are, especially around Bennett Flat, looking in the western part of the sky. But they're not really all that dark!

The skies at Onion Valley, after the moon had set: those were dark skies. As much darker than Palo Alto's that Truckee's sky is, that's how much darker Onion Valley's is over Truckee's. The Milky Way is visible in Truckee: it's spectacular at Onion Valley. Delphinus is visible in Truckee, if you know just where to look: it's almost impossible to miss at Onion Valley.

Dark skies.