Hurricane Sandy’s Silver Lining

From Space.com

The widespread power outages that have enveloped the New York City tri-state area in the wake of Hurricane Sandy may have one silver lining, at least for stargazers.

The Metropolitan New York area is generally considered to be the most light-polluted region of the United States and probably one of the worst places in the country to do any serious skywatching (other than perhaps viewing the moon and some of the brighter planets).

But the lack of electricity has plunged a large portion of this area into unaccustomed nighttime darkness and could provide city dwellers a chance to see some sights that are not often available in these normally washed-out urban skies. [November 2012 Night Sky Guide (Sky Map Gallery)]

Past outages

Since 1965, New York has had three major power blackouts. But of those three, in two cases the night sky still wasn’t optimal, because astronomy enthusiasts had to contend with the moon.

On Nov. 9, 1965, a blackout that hit the northeast United States came on the night after a full moon. As a result, the sky was illuminated to such a degree that only the brightest stars and constellations were visible; a saving grace for those unaccustomed to darkness, but a bane to those hoping to get a glimpse of many of the fainter stars.

On July 13, 1977, the New York area was blacked out for 25 hours when lightning hit an electrical power plant in nearby Westchester. Unlike in 1965, however, the moon was a slender crescent in the predawn sky, allowing even those in Manhattan to get a rare glimpse of the Milky Way.

More recently, a massive power failure blacked out a large section of real estate from the eastern Great Lakes into New England on Aug. 14, 2003. But once again, the moon was just two days past full and effectively squelched many of the dimmer stars.

Anyone in New York City or adjacent New Jersey and Connecticut who might try getting a view of a dark sky this weekend should do so…

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