Dark Skies in Venezuela - Katie Yelink

Since Venezuela has been in the news lately, I thought I’d share a memory of star gazing there. Way back in 2009, I was lucky enough to join a Venezuelan birdwatching trip. The tour flew into Caracas then took puddle jumper planes to a nature ranch in the interior. By day I thrilled to see scarlet macaws and capybaras. On night birding excursions, I experienced some of the darkest skies I’ve ever see.

Venezuela sits just above the equator so much of the sky was familiar to a stargazer from Pennsylvania. Away from urban skyglow and flood lights, the sky was alive with stars. Luckily, I’d planned in advance and brought my much-loved copy of H.A. Ray’s The Stars: A New Way to See Them, which gave me star charts for southern latitudes.

Constellations and stars that I was used to being overhead rode lower to the north. Also, it was strange to see winter constellations when there was no threat of snow or need for winter coats. The sky was so dark that faint stars usually invisible to the naked eye glowed brightly, making it hard to pick out well-known constellations. Still, I found Orion, the Great Square of Pegasus, Cassiopea, Canus Major, and the Columba. It was so dark that the Andromeda Galaxy showed clearly.   

At dawn, I saw the Southern Cross! It was a highlight for me, that famous southern constellation, tiny compared to the Northern Cross of Cygnus the Swan.  I also spotted Alpha and Beta Centauri, two stars in the constellation of Centaurus the Centaur.  These are southern star gazing targets that never rise about the horizon in Pennsylvania.

I was lucky to experience the natural beauty of a country that’s lived through struggles. My point, though, isn’t that I was lucky. My point is that night skies like this exist away from the glare of light pollution. I strongly believe that everyone should be able to experience the beauty of the night sky. A person shouldn’t have to travel partway around the world. This is why I joined DarkSkyPa and why I share my memories of nights that are becoming ever rarer.

• Katie Yelink