Where to find gloriously dark night skies

  • By Mike Lynch
  • Friday, March 18, 2016 4:00pm
  • Life
Where to find gloriously dark night skies

With the full moon lighting up the night sky I realize that this week is probably not the appropriate time to write about observing into dark skies, but I wanted to give you some stargazing food for thought for future planning.

If you’re an avid amateur astronomer, you know what I’m talking about. You like to do your best observing with your telescope or your best astrophotography in the darkest place you can find. Most of the time we have to settle, because the reality is to make a living and/or not live the life of a hermit we have to live in a place with artificial night light to some degree or another. Light pollution is something we have to live with.

As I’ve told you many times, there’s still a lot of stargazing to be enjoyed even in the light pollution, unless it gets too out of hand. It’s sad that so many people, especially kids, have never seen the full extent of the glorious night sky because of light pollution.

I’m not for going back to horse-and-buggy days. Street and exterior building lights are needed, but so much of it is wasted — sprayed into the sky for no reason. Think of the energy savings if the urban lighting could be directed to the ground where it’s needed. There have been steps taken. In many cities in Arizona and other places streetlights are required by law to cap their light from shooting into the sky. That alone can make a real difference. If there’s any doubt to how much light pollution there is just take a look at a satellite view of North America at night. We’re not the only ones shooting excessive light into the heavens though. Europe and other continents are just as guilty.

All is not lost though. There are still dark places to go to. At some point you owe it to yourself to find those truly dark areas. Just do your research and planning. The important thing is timing. Always plan your time within four days of the monthly new moon. If there’s a bright moon it won’t matter where you go. One of my favorite websites to help with this is Clear Sky Clock. Not only can you use it to find really dark skies in your area, but it can also help you determine if the skies will be clear enough. It uses data from the Canadian Meteorological Center, but it covers Canada, the continental U.S. and even parts of Mexico.

No matter where you settle in for a night of truly dark stargazing, you will want to acquire your night vision and hang on to it. It can take as long as an hour to achieve that and even a brief flash from a flashlight can spoil your night vision for up to another hour, so be careful. Any light you need to use for star maps and such should be red light exclusively. You can buy red headband flashlights at camping stores and departments. Also, if you’re using one of those stargazing apps on a cell phone or a pad make sure it has a setting for red screen.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

What’s Up columnist Andrea Brown with a selection of black and white glossy promotional photos on Wednesday, June 18, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Free celeb photos! Dig into The Herald’s Hollywood time capsule

John Wayne, Travolta, Golden Girls and hundreds more B&W glossies are up for grabs at August pop-up.

Rodney Ho / Atlanta Journal-Constitution / Tribune News Service
The Barenaked Ladies play Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville on Friday.
Coming events in Snohomish County

Send calendar submissions for print and online to features@heraldnet.com. To ensure your… Continue reading

Edmonds announces summer concert lineup

The Edmonds Arts Commission is hosting 20 shows from July 8 to Aug. 24, featuring a range of music styles from across the Puget Sound region.

Big Bend Photo Provided By Ford Media
2025 Ford Bronco Sport Big Bend Increases Off-Road Capability

Mountain Loop Highway Was No Match For Bronco

Cascadia College Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Midori Sakura looks in the surrounding trees for wildlife at the North Creek Wetlands on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Cascadia College ecology students teach about the importance of wetlands

To wrap up the term, students took family and friends on a guided tour of the North Creek wetlands.

Mustang Convertible Photo Provided By Ford Media Center
Ford’s 2024 Ford Mustang Convertible Revives The Past

Iconic Sports Car Re-Introduced To Wow Masses

Kim Crane talks about a handful of origami items on display inside her showroom on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Crease is the word: Origami fans flock to online paper store

Kim’s Crane in Snohomish has been supplying paper crafters with paper, books and kits since 1995.

The 2025 Nissan Murano midsize SUV has two rows of seats and a five-passenger capacity. (Photo provided by Nissan)
2025 Nissan Murano is a whole new machine

A total redesign introduces the fourth generation of this elegant midsize SUV.

A woman flips through a book at the Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Pop some tags at Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley

$20 buys an outfit, a unicycle — or a little Macklemore magic. Sales support the food bank.

The Mukilteo Boulevard Homer on Monday, May 12, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Homer Hedge’: A Simpsons meme takes root in Everett — D’oh!

Homer has been lurking in the bushes on West Mukilteo Boulevard since 2023. Stop by for a selfie.

Sarah and Cole Rinehardt, owners of In The Shadow Brewing, on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In The Shadow Brewing: From backyard brews to downtown cheers

Everything seems to have fallen into place at the new taproom location in downtown Arlington

Bar manager Faith Britton pours a beer for a customer at the Madison Avenue Pub in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Burgers, brews and blues: Madison Avenue Pub has it all

Enjoy half-price burgers on Tuesday, prime rib specials and live music at the Everett mainstay.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.