{"id":782826,"date":"2024-05-24T08:17:50","date_gmt":"2024-05-24T13:17:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=782826"},"modified":"2024-05-24T08:17:50","modified_gmt":"2024-05-24T13:17:50","slug":"stargazing-in-national-parks-around-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=782826","title":{"rendered":"Stargazing in national parks around the world"},"content":{"rendered":"


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View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Prashant Naik was at Joshua Tree National Park in California, when he captured this photo of 2 Perseid meteors and the Milky Way on August 12, 2023. Prashant wrote: \u201cAs the darkness engulfed the night sky and the Milky Way took the center stage, I could hear screams of \u2018wow\u2019 echoing through the air whenever the shooting stars streaked across the sky.\u201d Thank you, Prashant! Stargazing and the national parks go hand-in-hand, because \u2013 as the slogan suggests \u2013 \u201chalf the park is after dark!\u201d Read more about stargazing in national parks below. Find links to parks around the world here.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Stargazing in national parks<\/h3>\n

We all know that, from a city, you can\u2019t experience the glory of the night sky. Astronomers call the presence of any unwanted, inappropriate or excessive artificial lighting by the term light pollution<\/em>. And, as recently as 2016, scientists said in the journal Science Advances<\/em> that more than 99% of people in the U.S. live under light-polluted skies. They said nearly 80% of U.S. citizens can\u2019t see the Milky Way. Those same sorts of numbers probably apply to many other countries as well.<\/p>\n

And now here\u2019s the good news. <\/p>\n

If you look at a map of light pollution, you\u2019ll see the dark pockets often correspond to public, protected lands. Here in the U.S., and in more than 100 countries around the world, national parks are some of the least light-polluted and therefore best places to observe the night sky. But how can you<\/em> find out which parks to visit? <\/p>\n

A short list of resources<\/h3>\n

We can\u2019t tell you all the great places to stargaze in the world. But here\u2019s a short list of resources.<\/p>\n

Not in the U.S.? Try this link to All International Dark Sky Places.<\/p>\n

Try EarthSky\u2019s Best Places to Stargaze: A crowd-sourced map of dark sites around the world<\/p>\n

Or try \u2018Half the Park is After Dark: Exploring dark-sky parks around the world<\/p>\n

Or try Lonely Planet\u2019s book, released in a 2nd edition in February 2024 called Stargazing Around the World: A Tour of the Night Sky<\/p>\n

A simplified guide to stargazing from the TravelasFamilyBlog<\/p>\n

When should you go?\n<\/p>\n

Here are some tips for deciding when to schedule your stargazing experience in a national park:<\/p>\n