A Clear Night in the Chuckanut Range

Cold, crisp, autumn weather brought out the stars tonight and a great spot to view them was from a perch high in the Chuckanut Range above the city lights and freeway noise.

Look at a night time satellite image of northwest Washington on the eastern shore of the Salish Sea - from Vancouver to Olympia - the only dark area is where I stand.

all photos © Paul Anderson

But as you can see light pollution is affecting the skies on three sides of the Chuckanuts. The glow on the left horizon is from Victoria B.C., the glow on right is from Bellingham, refineries near Ferndale, and from the huge metropolis of Vancouver. B.C.

As more and more Canadians settle next to the border with the U.S. and Mt.Vernon/Burlington encroach nearer the southern edge of the Chuckanuts, light pollution will increase.  The first two photographs looking up through the trees were in an easterly direction and towards the North Cascades.