Star-Gazing in Tonopah, Nevada

My reason for visiting Tonopah, Nevada, was for the beautiful night sky.  Because it is so far from the bright lights of any major city, Tonopah's night skies are considered among the best in the country for star-gazing.  Tonopah did not disappoint me; the view of the Milky Way, without the benefit of a telescope, was magnificent.   I enjoyed visiting this very small town - it was filled with friendly, helpful people who were very welcoming.


TONOPAH.  The community began about 1900 with the discovery of gold and silver rich ore by prospector Jim Butler when he went looking for his lost burro. The burro had wandered off during the night and had sought shelter near a rock outcropping.  When Butler discovered the animal the next morning, he picked up a rock to throw at the beast, but instead noticed the rock was unusually heavy. He had stumbled upon the second-richest silver strike in Nevada history. The ore eventually played out, and abandoned mines can be found throughout the area.  What I want to know is, why in the world would you throw a rock at your little burro??

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

A MAGNIFICENT NIGHT SKY

THE MILKY WAY!

Tonopah encourages star-gazing and puts benches out in the middle of nowhere to sit on to watch the sky.  It was a perfect night to view the stars.

The entire downtown is about a block long; you go through it in about 5 minutes.  There are a lot of old, historic buildings that are being redone and will be re-opened later on in the year.  It was a nice place to visit.

The Clown Motel!  (Little scary!)

Each room has its own clown on the door!

This statue is for a miner who gave his own life to rescue others

A nice Veterans' Memorial