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I’ve written a lot about different star-gazing opportunities, from meteor showers to interesting planetary alignments, and I usually suggest finding a dark area for best viewing results. But what does "dark" even mean?
The Bortle Scale and the measurement of darkness
The growing prevalence of light pollution caused by our accursed civilization created the need for amateur astronomers to classify which areas in the nighttime sky are dark enough for good stargazing. Enter the “Bortle Scale.” Created in 2000 by astronomer John E. Bortle, the scale breaks darkness into nine levels—from Class 1, the darkest skies, to Class 9, heavily light-polluted urban areas where you’d be lucky to see the North Star. Put simply, for the best stargazing, you want to be in a place with the lowest Bortle number possible.
Thankfully, there's technology that can instantly identify the Bortle number of anywhere on earth. If you’re looking for the nearest, darkest spot, you can check out this Light Pollution Map, enter an address or global coordinates, and identify the amount of light pollution anywhere. Don’t be surprised if it’s challenging to find Zone 3 or lower—about 83 percent of the world's people live under light-polluted skies. Basically, anywhere with even a small city means light pollution.
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Finding the right area to stargaze
A dark night sky isn’t worth anything if you can’t see it, so find somewhere with an unobstructed view of the sky, or at least the part of the sky you want to see. Putting a mountain between you and the city is a great strategy for blocking out light; so is getting to the side of a wilderness area or body of water. Elevation can help too, because you'll be above the haze, fog, smoke, and smog that can obfuscate your view of the heavens. You don't necessarily need to travel off themgrid to stargaze, though. There are often spots right off the road—or even big highways—that are suitably dark. It's not the few small highway lights highway that keep the stars dim; it's the cumulative effect of all the lights in a city.
Plan around the phase of the moon
A full moon is beautiful, but it will basically blot out dimmer celestial objects; and unlike manmade light pollution, there’s no way you can avoid it except to wait until around a new moon. Clouds will obviously keep you from spotting anything in the sky too, so check the moon phase when you begin planning, and then start checking the weather when you get closer to the days you plan to leave.
Connect with a local astronomy organization
Most enthusiasts love to talk shop about their passion, so hook up with a local astronomy club or two to glean their inside knowledge of the best spots nearby to stare at the wonders of the cosmos. They probably have a Facebook page where you can ask questions online, and they probably have regular meet-ups if you’d rather talk to people in person.
Travel to an even darker place
If you’re planning to travel for longer than one night in search of darker skies, check out the Dark Hotels website. It mashes up the international light pollution map with hotel listings from booking.com and Airbnb's database. It helps make planning a stargazing trip super easy.
Visit a Dark Sky park or reserve
If you want to take the guesswork out of stargazing entirely, consider visiting a dark sky park or reserve. These designated nature areas are designed to preserve darkness and provide optimum viewing for planet nerds, and if you visit the website of the International Dark Sky Places program, you’ll find a searchable listing for over 200 spots in 22 countries with “outstanding dark sky conditions and protection practices."
Book a stay at an astronomy hotel
If you have the cash and like to do your stargazing in style and with as little planning as possible, consider an astro-hotel. Places like the Adero in Scottsdale, AZ provide guests with a dedicated “stargazing lawn” with telescopes and astronomy guides. The Hyatt Maui in Hawaii hosts a nightly "Tour of the Stars" with telescopes on the hotel roof, or you could check out the Northern Lights at the Alaska’s Lodge at Black Rapids. Those are only three of many astro-hotels all over the world.
Make the most of the darkness you have
Maybe you can't plan a faraway trip to an expensive hotel in an area with a perfect Bortle score, and that's obviously okay too. Looking up at the sky doesn’t have to be big deal, and the stars are still pretty when you see them from your backyard or fire escape. No matter where you go to stargaze, you can make the most of whatever darkness you have.
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Set up your telescope one hour before viewing: If you’re using a ‘scope, they say you should give it an hour for the optics adapt to the conditions.
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Bring along a lens filter: If you’re using a telescope or binoculars in an area with light pollution, a filter can cut out a significant amount of glare.
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Give your eyes a chance to adjust: It takes about a half an hour for your eyes to truly open up to the darkness. Don’t look at your phone or any other source of light during this time, unless your phone is emitting only red light.
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Set your phone to emit only red light: If you’re going to use your phone, you can change the setting to only red light easily (Red light doesn’t kill your night vision like other colors do.) On an iPhone, go to Settings > Accessibility > Display and Text Size > Color Filters. Click “on,” then “Color Tint,” and move both the “intensity” and the “hue” sliders all the way to the right, and, voila, red phone.
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Only use a red flashlight: You can navigate with a red flashlight or headlamp, but it won’t affect your night vision like other colored lights will. It's also the kind thing to do for anyone else who's out looking at the stars.
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Keep warm: You can’t go wrong with a wool blanket or two.
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Bring a friend: Bring a friend and a dog and a mug of hot chocolate. (This might be the most important rule of stargazing).
from LifeHacker https://ift.tt/4MnydLf
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