Texans Can Now See A Super Rare Sky Event

Something amazing, that hasn't been seen in decades, is happening in the night sky and Texas is one of the places where it can be seen with the naked eye.

Right now, an extremely rare, stellar event is taking place. A "Nova" occurs when a star, thanks to, basically, a thermonuclear eruption, suddenly flares up and burns extra bright for weeks or months before fading back to its original state. Viewing one is pretty rare.

Right now, 2 ... TWO ... are visible to the naked eye over parts of Florida, Louisiana and Texas.

Their names are V462 Lupi and V572 Velorum and they're mega-bright right now. So bright that they can be seen clearly in dark sky locations, especially in the Southern Hemisphere.

"V462 Lupi is currently holding steady at approximately magnitude +5.9, while V762 Velorum peaked near +4.8 and has since begun fading". (Don't ask me what that means, I copied it.) Get as far from light as you can and look low in the southern sky to try and see them.

Where is the best Dark Sky area near El Paso?

"Best" is in the eye of the beholder I guess and there's plenty of space, especially east of El Paso, with little to no light pollution. I'd head for Big Bend National Park.

Big Bend has been designated an international "Dark Sky Park" meaning that it's, basically, really freaking dark, with no light pollution so you can see everything in the night sky. The International Dark Sky Association decides who can be a dark sky park.

Big Bend is the largest Dark Sky Park in the world but progress, meaning lighting, is closing in and the battle to keep it dark continues. Most in the area agree and places like Marfa, Alpine and Fort Davis keep using more and more "dark sky friendly" lighting.