The Poloniny Dark-Sky Park (i.e., Park tmavej oblohy Poloniny), a part of Poloniny National Park, lies in eastern Slovakia, near the border with Poland and Ukraine. The area surrounding the dark-sky park lies in the the Bukovské vrchy mountain range, which belongs to the Eastern Carpathians. The dark-sky park is accessible all year round and around-the clock, with camping allowed in designated areas. Poloniny Dark-Sky Park has gained recognition for its pristine skies which average a class 2 in the Bortle scale, a fact confirmed to EarthSky by a stargazer who shared the following: “This is the one of the darkest places of Central Europe with a minimum of light pollution.”
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.