Stargazing in national parks around the world

Stargazing in national parks

We all know that, from a city, you cannot experience the glory of the night sky. Astronomers call the presence of any unwanted, inappropriate or excessive artificial illumination with the term light pollution. And, as recently as 2016, scientists saying In the diary Scientific advances that more than 99% of the United States population lives under light-polluted skies. They said that almost 80% of American citizens cannot see the Milky Way. Those same kinds of numbers probably apply to many other countries as well.

And now here's the good news.

If you look at a map of light pollution, you'll see that dark areas are often protected public lands. Here in the USA and in more than 100 countries Around the world, national parks are among the least polluted by light and therefore the best places to observe the night sky. But how can you Find out which parks to visit?

A short list of resources

We can't tell you all the great stargazing places in the world. But here is a short list of resources.

Not in the United States? Try this link to All International Dark Sky Locations.

Try EarthSky's Best Stargazing Spots: A Crowdsourced Map of Dark Sites Around the World

Or try 'Half the Park is Night: Exploring Dark Sky Parks Around the World'

Or try Lonely Planet's book, published in a second edition in February 2024, called Stargazing Around the World: A Tour of the Night Sky.

A Simplified Guide to Stargazing from TravelasFamilyBlog

When should you go?

Here are some tips for deciding when to schedule your national park stargazing experience:

• You'll enjoy stargazing more in the summer, when the nights are warm.
• Consider the days around New Moon, when the moon travels across the sky with the sun during the day. This leaves the nights free of moonlight for as dark a view as possible. And, if you can stay a while and want truly dark skies, try spacing the days between two or three days before and two or three days after the new moon.
• Also, remember that a thin crescent moon, which you will see early in the morning or early afternoon in the few days around the new moon, is pretty and interesting on its own. It's a great place to focus your binoculars.
• Check out EarthSky's night sky guide. It will list sky events that you may be able to see.
• Check out EarthSky's meteor shower guide. In fact, it's a lot of fun to go to a national park, where the sky is dark, and watch a meteor shower.
• Before you go, check the weather. You can't see the night sky through the clouds and rain.

Stargazing programs in national parks.

Many parks host stargazing events after dark. Park rangers, knowledgeable about the night sky, point out highlights and sometimes share views through a telescope. Bryce Canyon National Park It even has an annual astronomy festival. Glacier National Park now has the Dusty Star Observatory on the east side of St. Mary, along with star parties at Logan Pass.

Some of the darkest night skies in the US are found in the Nevada desert, and the Great Basin Observatory will take advantage of that. This observatory will be the first research observatory built in a US national park. You can find more national park observatories here.

Before visiting any national park service site, check the NPS website to see what astronomy or observing programs are available to visitors.

Of course, one of the easiest ways to enjoy the night sky in national parks is to camp under the stars. Remember to reserve your camping space in advance and wait for clear skies. To see what's visible in the sky during the night you're camping, check out our Tonight page.

Thanks NPS

Here in the US, our National Park Service (NPS) maintains a Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division in an effort to protect the native soundscape and guard against light pollution in the parks. On preserving dark skies, the NPS website says:

The night sky has inspired us for generations. Nighttime views and environments are among the critical features of the park that the NPS protects. Protecting the night sky enhances the qualities of solitude and undeveloped wildness that animals depend on for survival, park visitors seek connections, and many historic-cultural parks require for their preservation. In this sense, the NPS recognizes a naturally dark night sky as more than just a scenic canvas; It is part of a complex ecosystem that supports both natural and cultural resources.

That's why many U.S. national parks have earned the designation International Dark Sky Park. Of course, these parks must have exceptional, protected dark skies to earn this distinction. Some international dark sky parks include the Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Big Bend, Mammoth Cave, and more. You can see the complete and global list here.

To explore night sky data collected in national parks, visit this website

Plus, no matter where in the world you live, you can find a dark sky site near you on EarthSky. The best places to gaze at the stars page. It is an open collaboration initiative and includes many parks around the world.

Photos of the night sky of national parks.

More photos of stargazing in national parks.

If you have a good photo of the national parks after dark, share it with us!

Bottom line: Stargazing and national parks are a great combination. Rising light pollution in the United States makes national parks one of the last dark refuges.