Stargazing in BurlCo

DeepXplor

Explorer
Nov 5, 2008
341
19
Jersey Shore
YaYa, The fields at Atsion and Batsto are good, farm land with permission from the owner, on the bayside down at the shore, Franklin-Parker Reserve, near Cranberry bogs, and there are many other spots but you must look around. I don't know what town that you are from and the places that I mentioned may be out of the way. Most of the time any view towards Philly may be light polluted.
 

Yaya

New Member
Dec 9, 2009
5
0
Thanks! I'm in Medford, and i've thought about south Jackson Rd. around the bogs and close to Wharton. Even Carranza and South Park Rd. in Chatsworth seem to look pretty good, but otherwise I really don't know of any other places real close by.
 

imkms

Explorer
Feb 18, 2008
603
242
SJ and SW FL
Speedwell Place road is a good place for stargazing. This is the road that if viewed from Apple Hill looks straight and narrow, heading South East and ends in Speedwell. This dirt road is drivable by car (weather permitting) and about a mile or so from the hill enters a large small growth forest which offers a lot of visible sky. This several hundred acre area was tree harvested several years ago and is growing back amazingly quick (hybrid trees were replanted) but still offers a great view of the sky. Continue down the road to Speedwell, make a right turn and when you reach the end of the road turn right on Carranza road and head back to Medford.
 

ecampbell

Piney
Jan 2, 2003
2,889
1,029
The town of Friendship is good. A pretty good view to the horizion and well out of the way.
 

c1nj

Explorer
Nov 19, 2008
289
187
Don't waste your time on Jackson Road. By the time you get away from Medford you will be near Atco. You need to go east.
 

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
25,952
8,695
I say use the Parker Preserve. There are a few bogs to go to so I would check this one out first.

Drive to this road at the below link just outside of Chatsworth. Drive up the road to the gate and park as close to the edge as you can since the PP people do use it at times.


http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.82394641385886&lng=-74.52056407928467&z=16&type=nj1995&gpx=


Once you get to the bogs go to the below location where there is a bench to sit on. Set up your gear if you have any and enjoy the view. Make sure you go with someone since it is really dark.


http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.8204196388901&lng=-74.51215267181396&z=16&type=nj1995&gpx=


Guy
 

PINEY MIKE

Explorer
Jan 30, 2009
707
25
Bamber Lake
Speedwell Place road is a good place for stargazing. This is the road that if viewed from Apple Hill looks straight and narrow, heading South East and ends in Speedwell. This dirt road is drivable by car (weather permitting) and about a mile or so from the hill enters a large small growth forest which offers a lot of visible sky. This several hundred acre area was tree harvested several years ago and is growing back amazingly quick (hybrid trees were replanted) but still offers a great view of the sky. Continue down the road to Speedwell, make a right turn and when you reach the end of the road turn right on Carranza road and head back to Medford.

Stayed here all night just watching the stars once.. very open and quiet.
 

whippoorbill

Explorer
Jul 29, 2003
675
121
66
Bridgeton
Make hot cocoa. Bundle up. Tell your friends. The best meteor shower of 2009 is about to fall over North America on a long, cold December night.

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/08dec_geminids.htm

This is tonight. The forecast shows the nasty weather clearing out just in time for the midnight peak of the Geminids. The link reveals that this shower has been getting better and better of late.

This is a good night to pick one of your favorite places in the pines and enjoy the natural fireworks.

Thinking I'll head out.
 

mudboy dave

Explorer
Oct 15, 2008
950
19
43
atco
opentrailsnj.org
i took aride out last night, unfortunately all my 4x4s are down so i only had the firebird, took a ride out to the tuckahoe sod farms in Hammointon/Elm. saw 6 of them last night and others scattered throughout the week. What was the the shower gtoing back 5 or 6 years ago with literally thousands a minute?
 

mudboy dave

Explorer
Oct 15, 2008
950
19
43
atco
opentrailsnj.org
This is one of the best meteor showers of the year and never seems to disappoint observers.

This meteor shower gets the name "Geminids" because it appears to radiate from the constellation Gemini. An observer in the Northern Hemisphere can start seeing Geminid meteors as early as December 6, when one meteor every hour or so could be visible. During the next week, rates increase until a peak of 50-80 meteors per hour is attained on the night of December 13/14. The last Geminids are seen on December 18, when an observer might see a rate of one every hour or so.

For observers in the Southern Hemisphere, the Geminid radiant never climbs far above the horizon, and this considerably reduces the number of Geminid meteors you are likely to see. Nevertheless, on the night of maximum, it is possible to see 20 meteors per hour coming up from the northern horizon.

There are other, weaker meteor showers going on around the same time as the Geminids, but the best way to know if the meteor you see is a Geminid is to mentally trace the meteor backwards. If you end up at Gemini then you have probably seen a Geminid meteor! If you are not sure where Gemini is in the sky, the following charts will help you find it from both the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere
 
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