I’ll end by sharing one of my personal favorites, based on my experience traveling to Jordan several years ago. During my trip, I saw many of the country’s highlights: the Roman ruins of Jerash, the vast expanse of the Dead Sea, and the Rose City of Petra. I also spent one night …
Read More »Best Places to Go Stargazing: The Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland
Most visitors traverse Ireland’s western Wild Atlantic Way – a tourism route designated in 2014 to encourage visitors to explore beyond hotspots like Dublin and Cork. But the route is also fast becoming a great region for stargazing, thanks to the efforts of local communities along the Way who’ve worked to …
Read More »Best Places to Go Stargazing: Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve, New Zealand
In the early days of human history, the night sky was a central character in cultural lore and belief systems. Before artificial light and electrical power, the stars were the primary show available to everyone each night, and the stories about stars, constellations, and other astronomical phenomena seem almost as …
Read More »Best Places to Go Stargazing: NamibRand Nature Reserve, Namibia
Some of the world’s best places to see the stars are far from the crowds – and their associated light pollution. Life is harsh in the world’s desert environments, and this reduces human development and light pollution. One such place is the NamibRand Nature Reserve in Namibia. NamibRand Nature Reserve was established in …
Read More »Best Places to Go Stargazing: Utah & Arizona, Southwestern USA
If there’s one region in the world that comes to mind for the greatest density of incredible dark sky locations, it has to be Southern Utah and Arizona in the American Southwest. In fact, these two states continue to compete for which one has more IDA-certified dark sky locations. (At most recent …
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