In any city it is hard to see the stars in the sky as we would see in a natural environment and without any pollution, especially the light pollution (very common in cities) that makes it very difficult to see the stars and Practically deprives us of being able to see an authentic spectacle of stars in the sky.
Luckily, there are countries that have protected certain areas where you can enjoy the night sky in all its splendor. Areas called "night parks". They are places where you truly enjoy the space and the thousands of stars that can be seen. An authentic cosmic delight for lovers of astronomy and for anyone who wants to marvel at the incredible views that these places offer.
Here in this post, I will introduce 7 incredible places to see the Milky Way.
Let's start!
1.- Westhavelland Natural Park
The Westhavelland Natural Park is the international dark sky reserve that is closest to a city with a large population. It is approximately 100 kilometers from Berlin
"You can see the Milky Way and the unique lights of the aurora borealis," says Dr. Andreas Haenel, director of the Am Schölerberg museum planetarium.
2.- Kerry International Night Park, Ireland.
The reserve covers an area of 700 square kilometers on the Iveragh peninsula. Its location between the mountains of Kerry and the Atlantic Ocean provides natural protection against the light pollution of other Irish cities.
On a clear night, you can see the closest neighbor of the Milky Way 2.5 million light-years away, the Andromeda Galaxy.
3.- Galloway Forest Park, Scotland
With one of the darkest skies in Europe, you can see more than 7,000 stars and planets without even using a telescope. With more than 185,329 acres, this park has become one of the most important observatories in the world.
4.- NamibRand International Night Park, Namibia.
The location of the "NamibRand Nature Reserve" in the eastern section of the Namib Desert records low humidity and therefore the night sky is quite clear.
"Among the most interesting objects are the center of our galaxy the Milky Way, Magellanic Clouds, zodiacal light and planets," says Nils Odendaal, executive director of the NamibRand Nature Reserve.
5.- Atacama Desert, Chile.
Do you know those fantastic images of distant galaxies that look more like an artistic interpretation than a real image of space? Most of these photos are taken at La Silla Observatory in the arid Atacama Desert, one of the best places in the world to observe the night sky.
6.- Death Valley National Park, California, United States.
The almost pristine night sky has minimal impact of lighting of large cities despite being near Las Vegas (190 kilometers to the southeast) and Los Angeles (460 kilometers to the southwest).
Death Valley Park Guards run programs and night sky events with astronomy organizations during the main visitor season from November through April.
7. Moraine Lake, Banff National Park, Canada.
By day, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. At night, it is a sea of stars that is reflected in the waters of Moraine Lake. A show.
8.- Paranal, Chile
The Paranal Observatory is located under one of the darker skies south of the equator. (And therefore, one of the most popular by photographers looking to immortalize the stars).
For now, that's all. Which one would you go to?
We'll see you in the next post, people!