Dedicated stargazers know how frustrating light pollution can be. In a city full of artificial lights, starry skies fade and leave only a handful of the brightest stars and planets visible. Meanwhile, less developed areas enjoy stunning night skies unobstructed by artificial lighting. While good stargazing spots can be found in countless small towns, where are the best places to see the stars? According to the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), International Dark Sky Parks make for an unparalleled stargazing experience.
“An IDA International Dark Sky Park (IDSP) is a land possessing an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and a nocturnal environment that is specifically protected for its scientific, natural, educational, cultural heritage, and/or public enjoyment,” the IDA website explains.
If you’re ready for an out-of-this-world stargazing experience, visit these 14 IDSP locations for unbeatable night-sky views.
Add some wonder to your August by watching the Perseid meteor shower. Throughout the month, meteors from Comet Swift-Tuttle will shoot across the night sky to dazzle stargazers. Here’s what you need to know about these falling stars and how to see them.
Between August 11 and 13, the Perseid meteor shower will reach its peak. Don’t go making plans to watch the sky just yet, though. A full moon on August 11 will likely obscure views of the meteors. Still, astronomy enthusiasts can keep an eye out for the Perseids in the days leading up to the full moon. Stay up late or set an alarm for the dark hours before dawn to catch the clearest glimpses of these celestial bodies.
“Sadly, this year’s Perseids peak will see the worst possible circumstances for spotters,” NASA astronomer Bill Cooke said on NASA Blogs. “Most of us in North America would normally see 50 or 60 meteors per hour, but this year, during the normal peak, the full Moon will reduce that to 10-20 per hour at best.”
Avid skywatchers have more than the Perseids to look forward to, though. As the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory shares in the video below, Jupiter and Mars are visible in August’s sky. The Summer Triangle and the constellation Cygnus will also shine brightly for eagle-eyed stargazers.
Today, NASA unveiled images from the James Webb Space Telescope. The infrared images show the deepest and sharpest view of the distant universe to date. These glimpses into space represent 120 hours of observation and come after the telescope began capturing data a few weeks ago. Now available to the public, the Webb images invite people to explore distant galaxies and learn more about this scientific achievement.
“It’s an emotional moment when you see nature suddenly releasing some of its secrets,” Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said at a news conference on Wednesday. “With this telescope, it’s really hard not to break records.”
IMAGE: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
Meet Webb’s First Deep Field, the first James Webb Space Telescope image. The incredibly detailed capture shows galaxy cluster SMACS 0723. To generate this view, Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) composited several images at various wavelengths. This technology allows the world to see SMACS 0723 as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago.
“Webb can see backwards in time just after the big bang by looking for galaxies that are so far away, the light has taken many billions of years to get from those galaxies to ourselves,” Jonathan Gardner, NASA’s Webb deputy senior project scientist, said during the recent news conference.
Curious to see just how much NASA’s technology has improved? Compare the James Webb Space Telescope images to those captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. Twitter user @Johnnyc1423 created a helpful slider tool that compares images from the two telescopes. Currently, the tool features images of SMACS 0723, Southern Ring Nebula, Stephan’s Quintet, and Carina Nebula.
The new images represent a significant moment in scientific discovery and come after many years of collaboration. As NASA explains, “Thousands of scientists, engineers, and technicians from 14 countries, 29 U.S. states, and Washington, D.C. contributed to build, test, and integrate Webb.”
See a gallery of the images here, and stay updated as NASA releases further information.
