Check our Facebook page and the weather for current information before you come.įor more information on night sky viewing, visit the National Park Service Night Sky page. Scheduled programs are listed on our ranger programs page or the park's event calendar.Īstronomy and night sky programs are dependent upon fair weather conditions. ![]() Throughout the year the park hosts night sky programs. Night Sky Programs - The night sky is one of many resources which Devils Tower National Monument protects. With few trees, the night sky opens up over Devils Tower. This area provides one of the best views of the Tower, and with very little light pollutionĬircle of Sacred Smoke Sculpture and Picnic Area - Turn left at the park administration building and proceed to the picnic area. Joyner Ridge Parking Lot and Trail - Turn left onto a gravel road before you reach the Devils Tower Visitor Center to reach the parking lot and trailhead. There are many online resources to check sky conditions if you are interested in star gazing at Devils Tower. While location is important for night sky viewing, weather conditions are critical. The majestic, 600-foot-tall butte is a site of great significance for. ![]() It was our nation’s first national monument and was later made famous by Steven Speilberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, but it had already been sacred for millennia. Tyler Nordgren Ideal Locations for Night Sky Viewing Our first stop in the area was Devils Tower National Monument, known traditionally as Bear Lodge. American Indian oral histories speak of ties between the Tower and the stars. Ursa major (the "Great Bear") is one of many constellations visible from the Tower. Today, you can enjoy the park after dark and marvel at the same sky and the same stars that have captured the imaginations of people for thousands of years. The star knowledge of the Lakotas is one of many ways that demonstrate the cultural significance the Tower site has for so many diverse people. Oral histories about the night sky include elements common to many cultures, such as the Milky Way, the North Star, and Orion's Belt.Ĭonnections between people and the night sky stretch back for millennia. Lakotas developed their star knowledge over generations of watching the night sky although many aspects of their culture became fragmented by the end of the 1800s, their astronomical connections are still taught and studied today. When the constellation rises, it is on its side but as it sets it falls perpendicular to the horizon, mirroring the shape of the Tower. These stars, as well as several others form the Gemini constellation, and known to Lakotas as Mato Tipila - Bear Lodge.īoth the geographic feature and the constellation Mato Tipila are roughly rectangular in shape, but with a slight lean. Castor and Pollux are two bright stars that mark the constellation known as Gemini. The fact that it shares the name of the geographic feature known as Devils Tower is no coincidence.Ĭommon astronomy today uses Greek or Latin names and constellations. In addition to other known Lakota constellations, "Mato Tipila" shines brightly in the northern hemisphere. Through their oral traditions, Lakotas have passed on their knowledge of the stars to current generations. In Lakota, Devils Tower is known as "mato tipi la paha" or "The Hill of the Bear's Lodge." More commonly called Mato Tipila (Bear Lodge). And the sisters? They became the 7 Sisters Constellation – the Pleiades – in the night sky.The Lakota constellation Mato Tipila is a leaning rectangle, very similar to the geographic feature of the same name. As the tree grew, the bear tried furiously to climb the tree and reach the sisters – and its claw marks can still be seen as the striations all around Devil’s Tower today. So, the tree grew and grew and grew until at last the sisters were in safety among the heavens. However, this wasn’t enough to evade the bear since the bear was large and the tree was small. To escape him, they climbed up on a small tree. Suddenly, the brother was turned in to a bear, and start to chase the sisters. One day, the sisters and brother were out walking. The legend behind Devil’s Tower goes like this. We continued our hike around the Tower and found Native America prayer beads and cloths. We started the mile loop around Devil’s Tower, and a mountain climber (who literally drove cross-country for 48 hours and then climbed up) who was also a good photographer snapped this photo of me on some rocks in front of the larger rock. There was plenty of parking and even though it was nearing sunset, there were a great deal of people – mostly because of the bus of Chinese tourists that had arrived right before us. ![]() We paid the $10 park entrance fee for the vehicle (it was after hours so we honor-systemed it into the drop-box), and drove up to the base of Devil’s Tower.
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