Stargazing on Mustang Island Has Galactic Appeal

We speak briefly about our love of the night skies, and what got us interested in stars. His introduction was accidental. A few years ago he worked as a seasonal ranger at Nevada’s Great Basin National Park. 

“When the astronomy expert didn’t show up one night to put on his program,” he says, “I was thrown in headfirst.” 

I was happy to discover Taylor had started a similar event on Mustang Island. While most Texans think of the Hill Country and Big Bend regions as the ultimate stargazing destinations, staring up at the heavens to the sound of crashing waves has it’s own galactic appeal. With a completely unobstructed horizon above the ocean, here it’s possible to see stars and planets much lower in the sky.

A few other cosmos-curious folks soon gather around the red lights for Taylor’s presentation. They use this color because they are easier on the human eye at night, their longer wavelengths causing less pupil constriction, which allows stargazers to take in more natural light. Taylor begins with some pretty good reasons why we should care about preserving dark skies along our Texas coasts. 

The first is the reason we are gathered here on a cold beachfront at night: human enjoyment of the stars. There is inherent value in the pleasure and awe we experience when looking up at a glittering sky, of which our group needs little persuading. Light pollution also negatively affects wildlife. Hatchling Kemp’s ridley and green sea turtles emerging from the dunes under a cover of darkness use the stars to find their way to the ocean, and migrating birds orient themselves north or south with the help of celestial bodies. And, much like the turtles, the Navy and other maritime operations still teach navigation by the stars. Finally, Taylor says, “dark skies are easier on the wallet.” Bright lights cost big money, and measures that help keep the night skies dark, such as dimmer and fewer lights, also make sense economically.

More than convinced of the importance of dark skies, we turn to the one above us. Taylor wields his laser pointer and deftly begins picking out stars, clusters, constellations, and planets. As gulf clouds shift and scuttle we are afforded views of Jupiter in the northeast, Saturn to the south, bright Sirius to the east, and the Pleiades near the zenith. We get good looks at Orion, Taurus, and Cassiopeia as well. The planets shine clear and steady. The stars, on the other hand, twinkle—or scintillate—as a result of noticeable light refraction through the atmosphere due to their much greater distance from Earth, Taylor says. 

On the north and west horizons lay the bright glows of Corpus Christi and Port Aransas. Taylor concedes what we’ve figured to be true: There’s no stopping the ongoing crawl of development in those areas. But protected Texas coastal lands such as Goose Island State Park, Padre Island National Seashore, and Mustang Island State Park all still provide quality stargazing, especially from August to October. This year, major meteor showers in April (Lyrids), August (Perseids), and October (Orionids) will be on full display up and down the Texas coast.

Taylor concludes his program by reminding us that there is much to still be discovered in our starry skies, yet another reason to keep them dark. 

“Have a little bit of whimsy as you try to imagine what’s possible out there,” he says. “And continue to be lifelong learners.”