Night Skies Data Report: Photometric Assessment of Night Sky Quality at Canaveral National Seashore
White KC and Olstad TA . 2025. Night Skies Data Report: Photometric Assessment of Night Sky Quality at Canaveral National Seashore. Science Report. NPS/SR—2025/332. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado. https://doi.org/10.36967/2314034
This report characterizes night sky conditions in Canaveral National Seashore (CANA) using measurements made in the park unit and models of regional conditions based on satellite data. Calibrated night sky imagery was obtained to characterize the night sky at three sites. These ground-based observations were collected on three nights: March 13–15, 2018. Satellite data from 2023 was used to create a map of predicted night sky conditions in and around the park. The sky overhead is influenced by moderate light pollution with the average zenith brightness of 21.07 mag/arcsec2. We estimated a range of 49.7–51.2% of stars visible throughout the data collection period providing an opportunity to partially view the natural night sky on a cloudless, moonless night. The whole sky over CANA is approximately 3.5–4.7 (mean 4.1) times brighter than natural levels, indicating that natural night sky conditions are not readily visible, on average. Based on the visibility of astronomical objects in CANA, we classified the sky as Bortle Class 4 (rural/suburban transition) and Bortle Class 5 (suburban sky). Our Sky Quality Meter (SQM) measurements averaged 20.93 mag/arcsec2. Fairly obvious light-pollution domes are apparent over population centers in several directions. The main impacts on CANA’s night sky quality were the light domes from Oak Hill, New Smyrna Beach, Titusville, Edgewater, Port Orange, Deltona, Orlando, Daytona Beach, Alafaya, and Mims.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- White, Kelsey; Olstad, Tyra
- Date of Issue
- 2025-07
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- DOI
- 10.36967/2314034
- Units
- CANA , NRSS
- Keywords
- brightness, light pollution, night skies, night sky, photometric assessment, sky quality