Best Places in the United States to Stargaze

The fact of the matter is that you can make any place in the US the best possible place to stargaze if you do it under the right conditions. The conditions are much more important than the geography, at least for common stargazers who just want to see some of the night sky. If you want to be able to really analyze it and have really hi-tech, expensive equipment with which to do so, you might want to travel to South America or to Australia to do some serious star gazing. However, if you’re just getting into it or just looking for a fun evening activity instead of seeing the next box office hit at the movie theater, then follow these simple tips to make the most of your homegrown stargazing experience.

The best season to stargaze is winter. This is because the sky should be as clear as possible in order to clear up the air and make celestial bodies visible. This means that there should be low humidity in the air and that the air should be crisp. Winter is by far the best time for this. Obviously though you’ll have to take current weather features into consideration. Just because it may be winter doesn’t mean that it’s a great night to stargaze. A winter night with lots of clouds in the sky is not going to make for a very satisfying stargazing experience. So, in general, winter is best, but you also have to look up at the sky before choosing your night so that you get a night clear from clouds.

In addition, you should get as far away from unnatural light as possible. If you can get out of the city, do so. If you can wait until the streetlights in your neighborhood are turned off for the evening, do so. The less artificial light there is interfering with your vision, the better. Turn off any lights that you yourself can turn off, and try to pick a night when the moon is not very visible. Try to pick a night when the moon is very small instead of a night when clouds are covering a full moon. The less light is coming into your eye, the better. All the darkness will make you more able to see the stars in the sky. In addition to eliminating as much unnatural light as possible, you should give your eyes a period of 15-30 minutes to adjust to the dim lighting. Once your eyes have adjusted, they will have a much easier time of seeing the stars that you came out to see.

If you’re in some exotic place instead of your own backyard because you thought you knew a spectacular spot for watching the sunset and then stargazing for the evening, do be extremely careful. You should never star gaze on the edge of cliff or on a rocky coast or some other potentially dangerous spot. Your feet (or your entire body) should be firmly planted on solid, even ground and you should not be moving from one spot to another. While this sort of tip seems a little silly, it’s extremely important to be careful while stargazing. If you let your guard down because the stars are just so captivating, an unfortunate accident could occur.

While there’s no one region of the US that’s inherently better than another when it comes to stargazing, far away from the city and all artificial lighting is a good way to start looking for the perfect spot for stargazing. If you don’t have too many neighbors, your own backyard is probably the best spot in the US for you to stargaze.