Goblin Valley State Park is a unique area with sand stone formations, designated an International Dark Sky Park. It is located within the San Rafael Desert in Utah, on the southeastern edge of the San Rafael Swell, north of the Henry Mountains. The website compares its landscape to Mars and it beautifully showcases its geological history. The name of the park comes from its many hoodoos, rock shapes referred locally to as “goblins”, a feature shared by nearby Bryce Canyon national park (about 190 miles or 310 km to the southwest from Goblin Valley). There are petroglyphs (rock carvings) from several Native American cultures in the region.
Deborah Byrd
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About the Author:
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.