Where to stargaze in San Diego County during International Dark Sky Week

About 10 miles northeast of downtown San Diego is a surprisingly dark, urban place to stargaze in Mission Trails Regional Park.

The park is shielded from city lights by its vast mountain range.

“We do love that here at the park, through the star parties that we have twice a month,” said Jennifer Morrissey, executive director of the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation. “People can just, you know, within 10 minutes, be in an area that is almost completely dark, where they can do stargazing with experts in that area.”

This Friday night, space enthusiasts left wanting more after last week’s return of the Artemis II crew from orbiting the moon, can visit Mission Trails for a star party. It’s part of International Dark Sky Week.

The annual event led by DarkSky International has grown into a global movement to explore the celestial night sky and to protect the nighttime environment by curbing light pollution.

“It’s not just about the aesthetics of lighting, although it is nice for us humans just to be able to look up and enjoy the view of the stars,” said Eddie Lain, a dark sky advocate who is part of the Dark Sky San Diego County chapter. “There’s a lot of animals that use it for migration. For thousands of years, humans have used it for navigation and then today, most of the time for appreciation and admiration.”

Mission Trails has been doing its part to protect the night sky, Morrissey said. The park has been turning off the lights in parking lots and around the campground, which can help restore natural light cycles that wildlife need.

Research has shown that artificial lighting hurts many animals and insects. One study found that artificial light at night is a “potent evolutionary trap” and that “insects attracted to stationary artificial light sources die before morning, either through exhaustion or predation.” Another study, published last month, found that artificial lighting is altering how wildlife behave where urban land and wildland meet.

Morrissey said Mission Trails and park volunteers are working to receive a certification through DarkSky International to be recognized as an urban night sky area. In San Diego County, the international organization has certified Borrego Springs, Julian and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park as Dark Sky destinations.

According to Dark Sky San Diego County, other communities in the region are also pursuing an International Dark Sky Community certification, including Fallbrook and Valley Center.

Lain said there are many ways people can help reduce light pollution, including using light only when it is needed, choosing warmer-toned lighting whenever possible and shielding lights to concentrate lighting only where needed.

“Dark sky is not about people not wanting light,” he said. “It’s about doing it responsibly, doing it correctly.”

To stargaze and learn how to create dark skies in your community, here are Dark Sky Week events happening in San Diego County:

• Tuesday, April 14: Borrego’s Dark Sky Week Celebration at the Borrego Springs Library from 2-4 p.m. 
• Friday, April 17: Stars at West Sycamore with San Diego Astronomy Association at Mission Trails at Scripps Ranch at 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, April 18: Daytime Solar Telescope and Nighttime Star Party at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, from 9:30 a.m. to noon and from 8-9 p.m. at the Borrego Palm Canyon Campground Campfire Center
• Saturday, April 18: International Dark Sky Week Celebration at Santa Ysabel Nature Center from 2-10 p.m.