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Undoubtedly, the best places for professional star watching are found at the world's finest observatories high above the cloud cover and away from view-inhibiting light pollution. A few of the best are Mauna Kea, Hawaii; Palomar, California; and Cerro Pachón, Chile. Astronomers from around the world come to these places to study heavenly bodies with the most powerful telescopes on the planet. When it comes to a more casual brand of stargazing, the rule of thumb is the further you are removed from light
pollution, the better. Street and city lights create a haze in the sky that diminishes the brilliance of the stars. Venture to the middle of desert or a remote island, and stars appear much brighter to the naked eye. Depending on where you live in the world, your best bet is to head for the country. GORP.com offers this excellent guide to stargazing, with star maps for every season and constellation guides. If you can familiarize yourself with the constellations in the night sky, your stargazing adventure will be all the more rewarding. Cornell's "Ask an Astronomer" feature offers tips on exploring the night sky with the
naked eye, binoculars, or telescopes. DarkSky is a nifty tool that helps locate good stargazing locales in the continental U.S. with an illuminated map. As this Wilderness Watch article attests, perhaps the last best place in the world for stargazing is the open wilderness. Whether you plan to stargaze in your own neck of the woods or in some far off locale, you may want to ask around local parks for that perfect spot to gaze at the heavens.
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