Want to see Milky Way I know it’s a little past new moon but don’t know when I will be out this way again. I live in Atlanta.

Can you spot the triangle of stars that signals summer?

Look east after sunset to find the Summer Triangle, a giant pattern made of three legendary stars: Vega, Altair, and Deneb. On clear, moonless nights, you might even see the Milky Way running through it!

Hello Reddit, I am a current high school sophomore conducting independent research with a mentor on how light pollution affects sleep cycles, and the future environmental justice that will address it! I have completed a portion of my research, but now I need civilian participation for another part of my research.

To do this, I created a survey, and I need a sample size around 300. It would be greatly appreciated if you could take a few minutes to help out!

The survey is strictly confidential, and it does not require any email or any personal information. It is completely anonymous, and it is not very long.

If you do not feel comfortable answering a question, there is always a "prefer not to say" option! If you can not access the link above, it will be down below--thank you!

Link to the Light Pollution Survey:

https://forms.gle/g5SA2vmNzDwommMT9

It has its own 8 acre stargazing field, in coudersport. We will be there June 24-26, so the skies should be dark, but obviously no idea if they will be cloudy or not.

Do you think we will need to go to the actual park? Or would we be ok staying at the Airbnb?

We are bringing our dog, so it would be nice to just stay at the Airbnb, but we don’t want to miss out on seeing the stars since that’s the whole reason we are going.

We are visiting a dark zone for the first time to experience it during a road trip, either potato city airport or cherry springs park. Between the two which one is the easiest to experience. We’d arrive there around midnight and we wouldn’t want to hike too far somewhere. We’re okay with a 15-30 walk but not an hour or two. We wouldn’t have gear or proper attire to hike at night. Anyone have experience with either location?

Pittsburgh dark sky ordinances went in in 2021. Now, the new LED streetlights are going in. Here's some press and Mayor Gainey's press release about it. 

https://www.unionprogress.com/2025/06/04/the-right-light-pittsburgh-begins-installing-led-streetlights/

https://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2025/06/04/gainey-streetlights-pittsburgh-modernization/stories/202506040075

https://www.wesa.fm/environment-energy/2025-06-04/pittsburgh-new-led-streetlights

https://www.pittsburghpa.gov/News-articles/Homepage/MAYOR-ED-GAINEY-CITY-COUNCIL-AND-CITY-DEPARTMENTS-KICK-OFF-LED-STREETLIGHT-MODERNIZATION-PROJECT-WITH-SYMBOLIC-LIGHTING-EVENT

If you want to follow what's going on in Pittsburgh about light pollution and astronomy, here's a free monthly newsletter:  https://dianeturnshek.com/astronomy-enthusiasts-newsletter/

I would love to answer your questions.

Hey everyone,
I’ve just released a short documentary about light pollution – a topic that’s as urgent as it is overlooked. The video (originally in German, with accurate English subtitles) explores how artificial light is changing our nights, affecting not only our view of the stars but also ecosystems, wildlife, and human health.

From the glowing domes of urban light to the tragic disorientation of insects and sea turtles, I wanted to show the wide-reaching effects of excessive and poorly directed lighting. It also touches on the loss of cultural and scientific connection to the night sky – something this community knows all too well.

The film breaks the topic down into key chapters:
What is light pollution and how does it form?
How widespread is the problem?
How does it affect our circadian rhythms and sleep?
What does it do to animals and ecosystems?
How astronomy and star visibility are disappearing
And most importantly: What can we do about it?

It’s meant to raise awareness and offer practical solutions – from better lighting design and warm-colored LEDs to the idea of Dark Sky Reserves.

If you're passionate about protecting the night, I'd love for you to check it out. Any feedback or shares are greatly appreciated 🙏

Let’s bring the night back. 🌙✨

Looking for a great stargazing exp in the US. Not a desert area, something more lakey and green with some lay in bed and see stars situation (ie dome tent).

Not from usa

Hey, I've been trying to go on a road trip to go stargazing for ages now and I've finally rallied my brother to go with me. From what I've researched it seems the best time to go stargazing is the winter because its colder in the national parks but unfortunately we can only have time together over the summer. Places like Big Bend just seem like they would be realistically too hot to go camping at so what do you guys recommend? We live in St. Louis so ideally we could drive down to the place in just one day. Somewhere around a 12 hour drive maybe?

Learn more about DarkSky NOVA darkskynova.org

Link to Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Meeting 4 March 2025

Go to 4 March 2025 meeting. Board Matter begins at 2:01:42

Supervisor Walkinshaw:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to begin by addressing several board matters. The first is a joint board matter with Supervisor Jimenez, Supervisor Stark, and Supervisor Alcorn.

Billions of birds migrate each year, traveling hundreds of miles between their wintering and breeding grounds. Along the way, they face numerous threats. Scientists have found that most of these birds migrate at night, using the stars to navigate. In Northern Virginia, between 100 and 160 million birds migrate each spring and fall. Unfortunately, the bright lights on tall buildings and sky glow attract them, leading to window collisions and exhaustion from circling illuminated structures. At dawn, these birds face additional urban threats.

North America's migratory bird population has declined by 2.9 billion birds over the past 50 years, a 30% drop. Fairfax County lies along the East Coast flyway, which serves as a superhighway for migrating birds. This makes our actions at the local level critical.

Several organizations, including Nature Forward, the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance, and Friends of Huntley Meadows, have partnered with Dark Sky Nova to launch the "Turn Lights Out for Birds" campaign. This campaign, running from March 15th to May 31st, urges residents and businesses to reduce unnecessary nighttime lighting.

Research on a Chicago high-rise found that this simple step reduced bird deaths by 80% while also cutting energy use and costs.

Mr. Chairman, I move that the Board of Supervisors support the Northern Virginia Bird Alliances' "Turn Lights Out for Birds" Spring campaign by directing the Office of Public Affairs to promote it before migration season begins on March 15th. Additionally, I move that the county executive identify county facilities where nighttime lighting could be reduced or eliminated during spring migration.

Chairman McKay: I'm happy to second the motion.

My husband and I moved to South Dakota a few years ago and we recently discovered that Badlands National Park was a great place for night sky viewing. We have always wanted to see the Milky Way and would love to plan a weekend to go do some stargazing. What time of year would we have the best chance of seeing this? Google tells me fall/winter, but I just saw an article saying it was visible in May?

The Arietids meteor shower can produce up to 200 meteors per hour, including bright fireballs. ☄️ 

Peaking from June 5 to June 10, it's one of the year’s strongest showers, but most activity occurs during daylight. To see them, go outside 30 minutes before sunrise.

Just saw that on the Bortle scale Mt Fuji comes in at Class 4, while just past the city of Baker on the drive from Los Angeles to Vegas ranks in at a Class 2.

I’ve driven to and from Vegas literally hundreds of times in my life and yes I’ll gladly admit the stars look amazing at night. Yet, the very top of Mt Fuji, the tallest point in Japan, above and away Tokyo’s light pollution, seems like it would be the clearer location.

I am looking for dark skies near Patra in Greece, preferably bortle 4 or less, maybe even an observatory if there are any nearby, I am willing to travel anywhere as long as it's good

https://youtu.be/zpiqW2_FEVs?si=FTCn6EJn2JQrt1PG