'Starry Night Quotes' 2018 Wall Calendar

Starry Night Quotes - 2018 Wall Calendar • 13-month • Jan 2018-Jan 2019 • click to enlarge

TWO CALENDAR OPTIONS:

1. FREE Download - You can download a mini PDF version of this calendar to view on your hand-held device or to print out from you own inkjet or laser printer (15 - 8.5" x 11" sheets). I can also email this PDF directly to you, if you want to sign up for my NightScaper newsletter:

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2. Order a Pre-printed calendar from my Etsy website for $24.99 - This spiral-bound, 28-page wall calendar looks similar to the above photo and is printed on beautiful glossy coated card stock. Folded, it is 11" x 8.5". Hanging on your wall it is 11" x 17". Because it is a 13-month calendar (January 2018 thru January 2019), you can order through January 2018 and still have a full calendar year!

$5.00 of your purchase is will be donated to the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) to help preserve our dark sky areas. (Your name and address will not be shared with IDA, unless you so designate.)

Inspiring quotes. Each month of my calendar includes quotes from great thinkers in our world's history that inspire us as we contemplate our relationship with the universe above us.

The above quote is from the rarely sung fourth verse of "Home on the Range" (click to enlarge).

Finding Darkness in rural America. The "Starry Night Quotes" calendar is part of my Finding Darkness project —a quest I am on to help find and protect our dark skies. These are places where we can still clearly see the night stars. My goal is not to be an alarmist about light pollution, but to promote the use and benefits of dark sky areas as sanctuaries for creativity and solace —areas where we can remove the noise from our busy lives, to think, dream and be inspired.

A Santa Fe astronomer has said, "...as light pollution spreads, we are slowly losing one of the oldest and most universal links to all of human history." As late as 1889, Van Gogh was able to experience and paint his famous “Starry Night”. If he were alive today, there would be nothing in the night skies over Saint Rémy, France to inspire him, as the Milky Way can no longer be seen from there.

Can you really see the Milky Way at night with your naked eyes? I'm often asked this question by people who have never seen the Milky Way —and over 80% of people in the United States have not had this amazing experience because of increasing light pollution. Here's an article wrote on the naked eye experience vs. what the camera sees under a Bortle class 1 to 3 sky.

Light pollution affects how we see the starry night sky. Persons in a bright suburban area or a city like Salt Lake City (Bortle sky class 7-9) can only see a few of the brightest stars. Those who are far the from city lights can often see the Milky Way and millions of stars (click to enlarge).

Our ability to see stars in the night sky lessens as light pollution increases. Feel free to download and share this image on social media (click to enlarge).

Press Release: Please feel free to share my Finding Darkness press release with your local media.

Popular Links: How to Shoot the Milky Way • Post Processing NightScapes • Workshops and PhotoWalks • Tutorials and Tips • Overcoming Lens Coma • Video Hangout with my Friends

Protecting Our Dark Skies

“Are we doing enough to protect our dark skies?”  That’s the audio lead-in used for this mini-documentary on KSL-TV. John Hollenhorst (KSL's Science & Nature Specialist) and videographer, Ken Fall followed us (Charli, Teresa, Joe, Michael and I) around this past March in Bryce Canyon National Park at 3:00 AM. It was about 20ºF, and we’re all bundled up, so don't expect a fashion show! But you will see some beautiful Milky Way skies, with stunning western foregrounds; and you'll learn how the park service and some cities like Flagstaff, AZ are working to protect our dark skies from light pollution.

Finding Darkness is a quest I am on to help find and protect our dark skies. These are places where we can still clearly see the night stars. My goal is not to be an alarmist about light pollution, but to promote the use and benefits of dark sky areas as sanctuaries for creativity and solace —areas where we can remove the noise from our busy lives, to think, dream and be inspired.

A Santa Fe astronomer has said, "...as light pollution spreads, we are slowly losing one of the oldest and most universal links to all of human history." As late as 1889, Van Gogh was able to experience and paint his famous “Starry Night”. If he were alive today, there would be nothing in the night skies over Saint Rémy, France to inspire him, as the Milky Way can no longer be seen from there.

Click images to enlarge

Starry Night Quotes is a 2018 wall calendar I am publishing to beautify your home or office and help people become more aware of the importance of preserving our dark sky areas. You can learn more about dark sky sanctuaries by watching or reading the KSL documentary and by visiting the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) website. $5.00 from every calendar sale on my Etsy website will be donated to IDA.

"Starry Night Quotes" is a 2018 wall calendar with emphasis on preserving our dark sky sanctuaries.

A vertical Milky Way and strong airglow. Photographed at Jackson Lake, with the Teton Range in Grand Teton National Park. One of my images featured in the KSL mini-documentary about preserving our dark skies.

Watch it here: Here's the complete transcript and the 5-minute video of the program that aired on April 25th: Dark Skies: 'Half the park is after dark'.

Popular Links: How to Shoot the Milky Way • Post Processing NightScapes • Workshops and PhotoWalks • Tutorials and Tips • Overcoming Lens Coma • Video Hangout with my Friends

Finding Darkness

These Easter Island look-a-likes are in the southwestern United Stakes. They are sandstone hoodoos in the Devil's Garden area in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah.  Light painted from behind for accent and separation. This is one of the darkest regions in the USA (a Bortle-1). The stars were so brilliant! One exposure with a Canon 5D Mark III, using a Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 lens • f/2.8 • 20 sec • ISO 8000 ~ © Royce Bair

"Finding Darkness" is a new quest I have to help others locate and photograph some of the darkest "NightScape" skies in the world.

An invitation: I invite photographers everywhere to join me on this pursuit by tagging your darkest astro-landscapes with the hashtag: #FindingDarkness — on Instagram, Facebook or Google+.

Please include the location of your favorite dark sky NightScapes and any other interesting background information in your photo description. To qualify, locations should be on a Bortle Scale of Class 3 or lower. You can check to see if your favorite area meets this criteria by referring to this Dark Sky Finder map of the United States. Bortle Scale Class 3 areas are in blue, Class 2 areas are in gray, and Class 1 areas are in dark gray. Use this Dark Site Finder map for all other locations in the world.

Showcasing your images: From time-to-time, I will feature some of the best images on my @RoyceBairPhoto Instagram account, complete with credits and links to the photographer. The featured images will also appear on my Facebook fan page.

Not-so-dark areas. Not everyone has the opportunity to visit "Truly Dark Areas" within a Bortle Class 1 or 2 Scale. Most of us live in and around light polluted metropolitan areas. Yet, even in these circumstances, there are often nearby regions that one can do acceptable starry night photography. Please help me find acceptable NightScape Photo Walk locations in your locale.

Bristlecone Pine and Milky Way from Bristlecone Loop Trail, Bryce Canyon National Park (This is a Bortle Scale Class 1 area)  ~ © Royce Bair

Starry Night Quotes is a 2018 wall calendar you can order to beautify your home or office and help preserve our dark sky sanctuaries.