Located within the confines of Baxter State Park, Katadhin Woods and Water Monument comprises 87,563 acres of Maine wilderness. #maine #baxterstatepark #nightsky #nikonphotography #milkyway #newenglandĪ post shared by Nicholas Logan O’Neill on at 6:51am PDT Only shot that came out from the weekend due to overcast but worth it. And since plenty of these parks are within the Lower 48, there’s no reason not to witness the beauty of a true night sky for yourself.īaxter State Park is a dark zone with major cities being a couple hundred miles away it makes for great Milky Way and Andromeda photos. These are some of the best places to witness the northern lights, marvel at the Milky Way, discover planets through a telescope, or watch meteors shoot across the sky. Located around the globe, International Dark Sky Parks are preserves that are accredited with little light pollution, a healthy nocturnal environment, and brilliant night skies. That is what happens when you visit a dark sky park. We all agreed that these were the best stars we had ever seen, with one friend admitting that the night sky rivaled his experience atop Mount Kea in Hawaii, which is renowned as one of the best places to stargaze in the world. The Milky Way was a band of light that cut through the night sky, and its brightness was mind-boggling. By the time we had grown tired of counting, the sky had become so shrouded with celestial objects that we couldn’t pinpoint a single constellation. As the sky grew dark and the stars began to emerge, we settled into an open field to count shooting stars, which appeared every couple of minutes. I had one such experience when I was stargazing with friends on a camping trip less than four hours from my house. When you finally get the opportunity to see a “true night sky,” which is a sky completely unpolluted by light, it is unforgettable. From pondering the vastness of the universe to feeling connected to something cosmic, there’s a special feeling you get when you spy a shooting star or discover a new constellation - and it’s usually one of wonder and awe. For centuries, humans have been mesmerized by the stars in the night sky.

Cosmic campground