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SALT LAKE CITY — Winter officially arrives Thursday night, as Earth will tilt the furthest from the sun shortly before 8:30 p.m.
Some call winter solstice the shortest day of the year, but in Utah — home to more certified dark sky places than anywhere else on the planet — it might as well be a celebration of the longest night of the year. It gives stargazers more time to go outside and enjoy the heavens above.
The only problem this year is that it could be complicated by the weather. Clouds are forecast to roll into the state's southern and central regions Thursday afternoon and evening ahead of rain and snow forecast for Friday and Saturday, according to KSL meteorologist Kristen Van Dyke.
Cloud cover may exceed 50% at many of the International Dark-Sky places in these regions Thursday evening, per the National Weather Service. Even in the area with the least amount of cloud cover, there could be some lingering inversion haze or increasing cloud cover as the night continues.
So mixing in these factors, here are five of the best places in Utah to enjoy the night sky on the longest night of the year:
Dinosaur National Monument
- Location: Jensen, Uintah County
- Cloud cover forecast: 10-45%
Steinaker State Park
- Location: Vernal
- Cloud cover forecast: 15-55%
North Fork Park
- Location: Liberty, Weber County
- Cloud cover forecast: 25-35%
Jordanelle State Park
- Location: Heber City
- Cloud cover forecast: 25-55%
Antelope Island State Park
- Location: Syracuse
- Cloud cover forecast: 40-50%
Those seeking to go outside and view the stars should bundle up. Below-freezing temperatures are forecast this evening for most of the remote areas where the stars are most visible.
Meanwhile, for those hoping for more sunlight, there is good news. Daytime will begin to become longer and longer every day after this weekend, according to timeanddate.com. This trend will continue every day leading up to the summer solstice, which will be on June 20 next year.
