best places to stargaze

The Best Places to Stargaze in the World: A Tour in Pictures

09 September 2019

Get a little starry-eyed.

Many of the stars we see no longer exist.

When we look at the sky, we're seeing light that has reached us from millions of miles away, light stemming from stars that have likely imploded or winked out long before we ever wished upon them. Knowing this adds another dimension to the already mind-bending act of staring too long at the night sky. When we look at the stars, we see living proof of just how small we are against the infinite cosmos—and we're also seeing a time machine of the universe as it was long ago.

Unfortunately, light pollution has made it harder to view stars from the earth. Fortunately, there are now designated "Dark Sky Reserves" across the globe, places where artificial light is limited or nearly nonexistent.

Before you visit any of these places, be sure to schedule your trip so that it coincides with a new moon, so you can see the stars in all their untainted luminosity.

Chile's arid Atacama Desert is one of the most famous stargazing locations in the world. Because of the desert's dry atmosphere, the location receives up to 200 clear nights per year, and its empty stretches of sand provide the ideal locations for uninterrupted viewings of the cosmos.
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From off the coast of Spain, the island of Tenerife offers a multitude of peaks and beaches that provide unbroken views of the galaxy in all its mind-bending glory. From atop the volcanic rocks of Mount Teide National Park, you can see the rings of Saturn, the moon's craters, and countless nebulae. Plus, the island is privy to monthly meteor showers, so if you time it right, you have a good shot at making a wish on one of those luminous streaks of burning rock.
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The NamibRand Nature Reserve was the second place on Earth to be designated a Gold Tier International Dark Sky Reserve, and the first and only location in a developing country to receive the honor. The reserve is dedicated to keeping the night sky dark, and according to its website, it recognizes that "artificial light could well have a negative effect on both plant species as well as nocturnal and diurnal animal species in terms of causing habitat and behavioral changes, impacts that we would like to avoid. Similarly, excessive artificial lighting has a major negative effect both on aesthetics and on the quality of night sky experiences for guests."
In short, this park is one of the few places left on Earth that's completely untainted by electric lights. From here, you can see millions of stars and distant galaxies that are rarely visible from even small towns. This is a view that all humans used to see for thousands of years, so this sky is a blast from the past in more ways than one.
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This national park is located in the Canadian Rockies, and it offers dozens of spots from which you can view the stars with almost no interference from the lights of human civilization. Whether you choose to watch the skies from the shores of Medicine Lake or the snowy peaks of Mount Edith or from the famous, isolated Spirit Island, you're sure to experience some of the best views the night sky has to offer.
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The Moab Desert contains some of the world's largest and oldest International Dark Sky Parks. Stunning in the daytime due to its many geological wonders, this area becomes humbling and magnificent at night.
Among the many unique destinations in this area: there's the Canyonlands National Park, Dead Horse Point State Park, and Arches National Park, which was just declared a Dark Sky Reserve in 2019.
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In 2012, this 4,200 square foot reserve became the only Dark Sky Reserve in the Southern Hemisphere. This area is almost completely free from light pollution, and it offers many unforgettable locations from which you can drink in the view. For example, you can view the stars from within a hot spring, or take a virtual tour within a planetarium that will teach you to identify some of the astronomical bodies that can only be seen in the Southern Hemisphere, such as the Southern Cross constellation and a galaxy called the Magellanic Clouds.
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