Meteors from the Perseid Meteor Shower as they dart across the night sky, on August 14, 2016 in Big ... [+]
Ready for some summer stargazing? August is a stargazer’s dream this year, with Jupiter and Saturn at “opposition,” each rising at dusk at their biggest and brightest of the year.
But there’s more.
The peak of the Perseid meteor shower arrives this coming week. It will be best seen in the early hours of Thursday, August 12 in North America and on Friday, August 13 (UK and Europe).
It’s also the best time week of the year to see our Milky Way galaxy arc across the night sky right after dark. With a New Moon this Sunday, August 8, the next 10 days are the darkest nights of the month.
Although you can see planets perfectly well from any city, that’s not true of “shooting stars” and the Milky Way, both of which are way more impressive from a dark sky destination.
As a rule of thumb you need to get about 25 miles/40 kilometres from a town or city and check the interactive Light Pollution Map.
Since the Perseid meteor shower will be best seen from the northern hemisphere, here are some of the best places for reliably dark skies in North America and Europe.
Twilight in Mesa Verde National Park
1.Mesa Verde International Dark Sky Park, Colorado, US
Now one of 37 national parks in the US designated at International Dark Sky Parks, Mesa Verde National Park already offered public night sky programs before its designation in April.
An UNESCO World Heritage Sit, its famous for its Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings and over 5,000 known archeological sites ... and its fabulously dark night skies.
2. Elan Valley Dark Sky Park, Wales, UK
Although it get overshadowed by the more famous Brecon Beacons, Snowdonia and the coast of Pembrokeshire in Wales, the Elan Valley is the darkest place to go stargazing in the UK’s darkest country.
A 45,000-acre area of reservoirs, its Victorian pump houses, bridges and dams make it a magnet for night-scape photographers.
The night sky from Caban Coch Dam, the Elan Valley Dark Sky Park, mid-Wales, UK.
3. e-EyE, Extremadura, Spain
A Starlight Reserve for the last five years, the e-EyE astronomical complex inorthwest of Seville in southwest Spain is one of a new breed of astro-tourism centers.
As well as renting an observatory shed and taking part in star parties and events, you can leave a telescope here and remotely control it from home, taking advantage of the area’s 250 clear nights each year.
4. Appalachian Mountain Club’s (AMC) Maine Woods, New England, US
International Dark Sky Parks on the east coast of the US are few, but there’s a plan being hatched. In May the 14,000 square kilometer forest at North Maine Woods was designated as such, with the idea to create a vast reserve by combining the new AMC Maine Woods International Dark Sky Park with the existing Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.
The Rollright Stones in the Costwolds, UK.
5. Cotswolds AONB, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, UK
Most Dark Sky Parks in the UK are in Scotland, Wales and only southwest and northern England, but dark skies do exist closer to London. The rural Cotswolds—known for its rolling hills and golden-coloured Cotswold stone—is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in south central England that has dark skies aplenty.
The Rollright Stones ancient monument near Chipping Norton is an official Dark Sky Discovery Site.
6. Prineville Reservoir State Park, Oregon, US
The first International Dark Sky Park in Oregon, Prineville Reservoir State Park was designated only in May.
Northeast of Bend in the high desert, it’s a 3,000-acre lake with boating, fishing, hiking trails, campsites and starry skies.
McDonald Observatory, Fort Davis, Texas, United States of America, North America
7. Big Bend National Park, Texas, US
Get ready for one of the biggest dark sky areas in the world. Now going through a certification process being organised by McDonald Observatory, the local counties have been updating their dark sky lighting ordinances.
It’s already one of the best places in North America for stargazing, with plenty of star parties, moonlight walks and night sky interpretive programs.
8. Naturpark Attersee-Traunsee, Austria
The first International Dark Sky Park in Austria and designated earlier this year, the Naturpark Attersee-Traunsee spans 77 square kilometers of forest in the foothills of the Alps.
All of its local lights were replaced in 2018 with dark sky-friendly equipment.
Stargazing from the Pic du Midi, France.
9. Réserve Internationale de Ciel Étoilé du Pic du Midi, Hautes-Pyrénées, France
A combination of an UNESCO World Heritage Site (Pyrénées-Mont Perdu) and a French national park (Pyrénées National Park), the centrepiece of this vast International Dark Sky Reserve is the iconic Pic du Midi Observatory.
You can ascend by cable car and spend the night with the stars … and some fabulous telescopes.
10. Natural Bridge International Dark Sky Park, Virginia, US
Don’t think that only the night skies of the western areas of the US should be recognised and protected.
Virginia now has three International Dark Sky Parks—the most of any state east of the Mississippi River—the latest being the Natural Bridge State Park, a limestone gorge with forests and meadows.
Milky way from Dead Horse Point Dark Sky Park, Utah.
11. Dead Horse Point Dark Sky Park, Utah, US
Between the vast national parks of Canyonlands and Arches—both famous for their dark skies—the small yet dramatic Dead Horse Point State Park often gets overlooked.
About 6,000ft. above sea level, its night skies are super-dark and the views from its observation platform—above a gooseneck in the Colorado River—is unbeatable.
12. Brecon Beacons International Dark Sky Reserve, Wales, UK
Mention dark skies to anyone in southern England or South Wales and they’ll immediately think of this famous national park. A vast area of peaks, rolling countryside and waterfalls, there are hundreds of places to camp, glamp and go stargazing.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
