Overview -- An introduction to "Salem Skies".

"Salem Skies" is a blog about the night skies of Salem and the interesting things you can see in those skies. The blog offers general astronomy information for the curious public with specific attention to the advantages and disadvantages of viewing from Salem. Plus the blog includes references to resources — tools, books, websites, apps, etc. — that help the eager skywatcher.

Salem, Missouri, is a town of 5,000 residents in the eastern Ozarks and is the county seat of Dent County. Salem is a neighbor to the Mark Twain National Forest, Montauk State Park, and Ozarks National Scenic Riverway. The town location is balanced between access to Interstate 44 to the north and a broad expanse of mostly government and private land reserves extending to the Arkansas border. There are few towns south of Salem. Those towns are well spaced have populations without a comma. Their small, concentrated commercial zones don't contribute much illumination to the night sky.

As a result of its location and surroundings, the Salem area offers dark skies that aren't available in cities, suburbs, and other rural towns near major highways. The central area of town has its stoplights and fast food restaurants (4 of each) plus the typical neighborhood lighting of a town. But the density of light drops quickly with distance. Just a few miles from town, the skies shout with bright stars and the Milky Way on any clear, moonless night. This means that residents have access to excellent dark skies — either in their backyard or within a very short drive. At the same time, the terrain — dense woods and many rivers and creeks — sometimes make it hard to find open, unobstructed views.

The Salem area is a great place to view all the interesting things in the night sky. Hopefully these articles will help you enjoy this great natural resource.