Star-studded Utah monument joins ranks of nation’s darkest parks

The Milky Way curves across the sky above Cedar Breaks National Monument in Utah on July 21, 2015. The monument 200 miles northeast of Las Vegas was just recognized as an International Dark Sky Park. (Courtesy of Mike Saemisch)

The darkness is spreading, and it’s cause for celebration.

Utah’s Cedar Breaks National Monument, about 200 miles northeast of Las Vegas, has joined the ranks of places recognized for their clear, star-filled night skies.

The monument was named Thursday as the nation’s 16th International Dark Sky Park, a status that places it alongside other starry wonderlands such as Death Valley National Park in California, Grand Canyon National Park and Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument in Arizona and Capitol Reef and Canyonlands national parks in Utah.

Great Basin National Park in Eastern Nevada joined the list in May 2016, thanks to nighttime conditions that experts say approach what the sky looked like before the invention of the electric light.

The Cedar Breaks designation by the International Dark-Sky Association, a Tucson, Ariz.-based nonprofit that fights light pollution, came after a review of satellite data, on-the-ground light measurements and other factors.

Utah is now home to seven International Dark Sky Parks, more than any other state or province in the world.

Cedar Breaks plans to celebrate its new status with a public “star party” from 7 to 10 p.m. March 18 in the Navajo Lodge at nearby Brian Head Resort. The event at about 10,000 feet above sea level will feature a short talk on dark skies and astronomy, telescope viewings, warm beverages and activities for kids.

Contact Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Follow @RefriedBrean on Twitter.