A video capturing a mesmerizing night view at Death Valley National Park in California has gone viral on TikTok.
The video, posted by amateur landscape photographer Jadon (@longfoxphoto), highlights the stunning celestial views at the park's Devil's Golf Course, which are often overlooked by visitors who leave before nightfall.
Jadon, a 23-year-old from Arizona, focuses primarily on nighttime and astrophotography. His video opens with a daytime shot of the park's rugged landscape, overlaid with a caption that reads "Most people that visit Death Valley never stay after dark..."
The video then transitions to a dazzling night scene, revealing a star-filled sky with the Milky Way stretching across the horizon.
"Recently I got into astrophotography as a hobby, so I was researching places with very low light pollution," Jadon, who preferred not to give his surname, told Newsweek. "I'm also a huge fan of national parks, so Death Valley came up on all my searches. Knowing this fact and that I was within driving distance, I knew I had to visit."
The Devil's Golf Course is a field of jagged rock salt formations located near the park's famed Badwater Basin salt flats. This vast area of jagged spires is "so incredibly serrated that 'only the devil could play golf on such rough links,'" notes the National Park Service (NPS).
"Listen carefully and you'll hear sounds like tiny pops and pings—the sound is literally billions of tiny salt crystals bursting apart as they expand and contract in the heat," the park says.
Death Valley National Park is a land of extremes, from its steady drought and record summer heat to its snow-frosted peaks in winter and rare rainstorms that bring vast fields of wildflowers, notes the NPS.
The park also offers some of the best stargazing in America, with DarkSky International having designated it as a Gold Tier Dark Sky Park, which is "the highest rating of darkness," the NPS says.
'Favorite Part About Death Valley'
Jadon's viral video showcases Death Valley's unique charm at night—a sight that few travelers get to see but one that leaves a lasting impression on those who do.
"I made this video to showcase arguably my favorite part about Death Valley—the stars," Jason told Newsweek.
While Death Valley is known for its harsh daytime heat, Jadon says the magic truly happens after sunset.
"I've always loved taking pictures, and I'm a huge astronomy and space nerd, so this hobby was the perfect blend of the two," he said. "I somewhat planned this shot as I had scouted out a few places I thought about taking pictures before arriving at the park. Once I arrived, I decided I wanted to take a shot at Devil's Golf Course."
A caption shared with the post reads: "Death Valley is one of the best places in the U.S. to stargaze! Cameras pick up more detail, but you can still see a lot with the naked eye."
While the video captures the beauty of the stars, many visitors to Death Valley miss out on the experience because they don't stay late enough or know what to look for, according to Jadon.
"Many people don't know what conditions to look for and what time of the month that they're able to see the Milky Way with their naked eye," he said.
To capture the video's stunning visuals, Jadon used a common astrophotography technique known as "blending," which involves photographing the foreground before nightfall and later combining it with images of the starry sky.
"The Milky Way was captured around 8 or 9 p.m. [local time], the foreground was captured earlier around 6 p.m. when it wasn't as dark," Jadon explained. "This technique is called blending and is common in astrophotography because it allows photographers to get a lot of detail in the foregrounds of their shot while showing off the Milky Way."
The video's success has encouraged Jadon to continue sharing his nighttime adventures and explore more dark-sky locations.
"I have a passion for sharing the beauty of nature under the night sky and can't wait to share more amazing spots around the U.S. with my followers," he said.
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