ORION Astronomy

05/10/2026

Satellites are wonders of modern technology that have improved all of our lives. But having more than a million of them in orbit could destroy our view of the heavens and seriously damage our planet

04/24/2026

Go, short tree, it's your Earth Day! 🌎

We gon' party like it's your Earth Day! Today is a global celebration encouraging education and stewardship of the planet's natural resources. Whether in a backyard, neighborhood green space, or an iconic national park, the National Park Service provides opportunities for everyone to discover and enjoy the physical and psychological benefits that come with spending time outdoors.

Learn more at: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/earth-day.htm

Image: Baby Groot or sequoia seedling on the forest floor? Let’s go with seedling.

04/24/2026

For centuries, stars in the night sky have been used as navigational tools and ways to tell stories. 🌠

The lands currently managed by the park include the traditional homelands of the Maara’yam (Serrano), Nüwü (Chemehuevi), and Kawiya (Cahuilla), and the traditional use area of the Aha Macave (Mohave). Different cultures used the movement of the sky to understand where they stood on Earth and in what direction they were heading. Stars grouped together formed pictures, similar to constellations you may be familiar with, and told stories of the past. 🌟

Many people still utilize the sky for direction and you can too! Using the locational cues of the sun rising in the east and setting in the west is a common example of how this is still practiced today.

Next time you look up at the night sky, do you notice any familiar shapes? Which direction are they moving towards? 🔭

Photo by NPS / Lian Law

04/24/2026

Comet R3 PanSTARRS over the Byzantine Tower of Apollonia
Christos Danoglou
2026 April 18
Kavala, Greece

04/24/2026

It's International Dark Sky Week! There is a new moon this week and the skies are pretty clear, so make sure to check out the night sky where you are. If you're visiting Dinosaur National Monument, you can easily find a place to enjoy some of the darkest skies in the area!

The night skies at Dinosaur National Monument are so dark that in 2019, it was designated as an International Dark Sky Park! It took a lot of work to make sure that all of the lights that can be were shielded while still illuminating things like paths and restrooms in the campgrounds. The lights inside the buildings are motion activated and since they're not open after 5 at this time of year, they're dark all night!

On a clear moonless night, visitors to Dinosaur National Monument are treated to up to 4,500 stars visible to the naked eye! For comparison, in similar conditions people in Denver and Salt Lake City can see from 250-500 stars. Sometimes, there are so many stars visible in Dinosaur that it takes a while to find familiar constellations like Orion and the Big Dipper!

If you're planning to visit the monument in July and August, check with us to see if there are any Night Sky programs scheduled! Learn about animals that need dark to survive, Native cultures' star stories, or take a look at planets through telescopes!



NPS image of stars and milky way reflected in a river

04/24/2026

Setting: Venus, Moon, and the Pleiades Star Cluster
Gianni Tumino
2026 April 19
Marina di Modica, Sicily, Italy

04/24/2026

04/24/2026

04/24/2026

Cone-gratulations, you live on a pretty great planet.

Native plants like coneflowers do a lot of heavy lifting. They provide nectar for pollinators, seeds for birds, and structure for entire ecosystems.

Without native plants, those connections start to break down.

The good news? You don’t need a massive prairie to help. A small patch, a garden bed, even a single pot of native plants at your home can support wildlife in a big way.

Cone-gratulations again. You now have a very easy way to make a difference this Earth Day. Plant native plants.

Photo of narrow-leaved purple coneflower at Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge in Minnesota, by Mike Budd/USFWS.

04/24/2026

ATTENTION VETERANS: JOB ALERT

Obed Wild & Scenic River is seeking polite visitor-service oriented veterans with a love for the park for temporary employment as a GS-05 park guide. If you enjoy sharing your knowledge of the park in a professional setting, the Interpretation and Education Team would like to speak with you.

DUTY LOCATION(S)

Oak Ridge, TN

DUTIES TO BE PERFORMED

Staff a visitor center; keep front desk area organized; cleaning; interact with visitors in a polite and professional manner; be knowledgeable and thoughtfully answer questions about the park; provide recommendations on activities to the visitor, conduct a variety of programs for park visitors. Wearing of a National Park Service uniform is required.

HOW MUCH DO I GET PAID?

Starting salary $19.52/per hour. This position is full-time not to exceed 1039 hours, working weekends, evenings, and federal holidays starting tentatively May 17, 2026 to November 14, 2026 pending budget.

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants should submit a resume (no more than 2 pages in length) and DD214 by email no later than Friday, April 17th 2026, to [email protected]

Subject Line: Applicant Name – Resume, I&E Park Guide -Oak Ridge

Resumes should not be longer than 2 pages or contain sensitive personal information such as a social security number. Include your name, address, phone number, email address, the dates worked and the weekly hours worked from previous employment.

Do not respond to this post with any personal information.

For additional information on what to include in a federal resume, click here:
https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include

NPS Photo