The middle of Afghanistan is a good place, too.

They probably should call it the Snickers, because there's bound to be some nuts out there.

Weirdly, it’s so dark here that the sun is still ever so slightly lighting up a portion the sky at 11:00pm even though sunset was at 9:30pm. We’re supposed to be able to see the Northern Lights tonight and tomorrow night. I’ll try again at midnight.

I grew up on an Iowa farm in the 50's and 60's. You couldn't see a light in any direction. I could see the Milky Way on any clear night. I spent a lot of nights laying in the grass and looking at the sky. I remember seeing satellites moving across the sky. And some beautiful displays of the Northern Lights. I really do miss that.

There is one in my refrigerator right now. When I open the door, it's not dark. But I think it is with the door closed.

Seriously. A 2-3 AM stop at the I84 turnout east of Pendleton right after Labor day has a fantastic star night view when the weather is good.

Where i lived in Arizona it was easily seen from the back yard. I recently found out the girlfriend hasn't seen it. Looking for dark areas here and the new moon to check that box for her.

I've been out in the ocean flat on my back laying on the deck of a fully blacked out US Navy ship. In the first few moments, the sky was normal. But as the seconds ticked by, stars continued to appear until it was literally a sea of stars I was seeing.

Used to be you could see a lot more where I live, even though I'm right between Seattle and Tacoma, but in the last 20 years there's been a massive boom, and the area is filled with shitheads from elsewhere, burning 10,000 watts worth of light on all their McMansions because coyotes are super scary. So now only the brightest stars can be seen unless you really sit there and stare. It's hot trash.

In a few weeks I'm going out to Ocean Shores, and then up in the Cascades, we'll see what we can see then, Moon wont be out, ought to be good and dark.

Seen the Northern Lights too, up at Birch Bay by the Canadian border, that was close to 25 years ago now though, probably harder to spot that there too now.

Earlier this week at Joshua Tree NP. Truly amazing place.

Roswell, New Mexico
1950’s
All the stars you would ever want to see.

quote:

Originally posted by tleddy:
Roswell, New Mexico
1950’s
All the stars you would ever want to see.

I guess it was enough for you

My best view was 1983 in the middle of Lake Michigan on the way to the Oshkosh air show. Friends and I decided to take the night ferry from Ludington, MI to Manitiwoc, WI. Also was one of the years for the meteor showers.
Going to try to talk the wife into doing it this year.

quote:

Originally posted by VANQUISH:
Earlier this week at Joshua Tree NP. Truly amazing place.

It used to take us three nights in J.t.n.m.
For our eyes to acclimate to the extreme black of the night sky.

Our eyes would start hurting after two hours.

Same with the ears and audio senses

It was very easily visible when I was growing up in New Jersey in the 1960's. Where I live now in Utah we can see it, but the light pollution is ever increasing. The enormous vacation homes over in Deer Valley love to put thousands of white lights on their 50 ft tall pine trees and run them all night.

We just spent a few nights camping in the Uintah mountains. It is very dark and we had tons of stars. Bright enough to walk around in the middle of the night even with no moon.

quote:

Originally posted by Fly-Sig:
It was very easily visible when I was growing up in New Jersey in the 1960's. Where I live now in Utah we can see it, but the light pollution is ever increasing. The enormous vacation homes over in Deer Valley love to put thousands of white lights on their 50 ft tall pine trees and run them all night.

We just spent a few nights camping in the Uintah mountains. It is very dark and we had tons of stars. Bright enough to walk around in the middle of the night even with no moon.

I’d really like to go back there. I started my Forest Service career as a Wilderness Ranger up in the High Uintas. It remains one of my favorite places.

I wish. I'm in the suburbs of the second largest city in MI.
It seems the fear of crime is fought by bright lights. I don't think that has ever been proven to work.

I think https://www.darksky.org/ has proven it wrong.

I live in the city, street lights and all, so no luck at home. But I am well-traveled, and have seen the Milky Way and all the constellations in many places where it is naturally darker at night, and especially, in drier climates that don't hide the heavens in humidity or haze. (Wow! Look at that alliteration, and I didn't do it on purpose!)(Reminds me of this great Stephen Stills song):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdBs7JFn9Pk

It is incredible that this thread topic is even a thing. We've added so much light pollution over the last 30 years, and not just due to increased numbers of people.

Back in the early to mid 90's I flew around many parts of the USA where there were almost no lights below us except for cities and towns. By the mid 2000's (aka "naughties" in British English) there were noticeably more lights on all night in rural areas. For the last decade there was hardly anywhere that looked unlit in the CONUS.

How much money, energy, and CO2 could be saved by not running all those lights?

Apparently most Americans now live in so much light pollution that they can barely see stars.

should ad how many have seen the Northern Lights

I can see both at the cabin. Neither in town (Las Vegas).