How's the Night Sky Where You Are?

[Extollager]

Here's a graphic to prompt reflection--

APOD: 2016 June 30 - The New World Atlas of Artificial Sky Brightness

But what I'm wondering is, what does the night sky look like from where you live?

Here in a small town in North Dakota, I can walk two blocks to the Goose River and look up and see the Milky Way well, pick out various constellations, etc. For example, the Teapot in Sagittarius looks like a teapot all right. I take it that a good test of your night sky quality is whether you can see the Andromeda galaxy with the naked eye; yes, we can do that here, within a couple of blocks of where I live, at least. The city recently installed night sky-friendly street lighting, btw. I haven't yet tested it as to whether I can see the Andromeda galaxy from my yard.

 

[AnyaKimlin]

At the beach, looking North it's clear enough to see Aurora Boreallis (sp??) and other phenomenon.

 

[Extollager]

Yes! In a recent Wall Street Journal there was an article advocating impromptu family trips, and the author mentioned getting everyone in the vehicle to driver somewhere -- I'm thinking it was several hours' drive -- to go to where they could see the aurora borealis, normally not visible in their region, I gather. A nice thing about our relatively dark sky here in North Dakota is that we can sometimes see it if we step outside on a clear, cold night.

How about others? If you live in a place where your view of the night sky is seriously impaired by light, is that something that you deal with in other ways, e.g. a planetarium, or vacation destinations, or--?

 

[Nick B]

The night sky where I live is pretty poor. As an amateur astronomer, this does not bode sell for me, and to be honest limits the amount of time I spend with my scopes out. On a good night I het reasonable star fields, but never see the milky way with the naked eye.
I lived in cornwall for a while, many years ago, and would spend many an hour lying outside stargazing, beauticully dark skies and amazing clarity.
One of the reasons I would have loved to move to Ireland.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Limerick City only affects us with its glow on overcast nights, (reflecting off the clouds). You can't see anything then anyway!
Curiously my digital camera is useless for moon or starlight photography (my film camera worked!) though the "nightshot" mode on my sony 8mm digital camcorder works.
I'm at the edge of a village, right at the edge of streetlights, so it's not bad. Much darker is only walking distance away.

Some photos with my digital camera (showing how NOISY it is). In Age order.

Most recent: A chimney fire. I THINK the very bright blob is the moon!

A sunset (West as it's just before spring, uphill)

Next two are on the same night last winter. It was misty then cleared.

That *IS* the moon, not the sun!

The Amber glow, bottom left, is from three street lights, the last ones and most Northern, View East

The lights of Limerick City, about 9km East (though edge of suburbs are 6km away)

Oldest photo, on a lower resolution digital camera, now broken. A more North East view downhill. Lower aspect and from the field beside our house so you can see amber glow of street lights on lower left. There are a few actual real stars visible in the noise!

Maybe five stars (more obvious on my full resolution version.). I increased gamma to brighten it, which makes it noisy.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

I don't have to walk far from the village to see the Milky way on clear dry night. Very cold winter is better:
1) Too much humidity in summer, blurs sky.
2) Gets dark far too late in summer, esp June & July!

I remember when I was at college a friend made a tracking polar mount. Needed for decent telescope photography.

 

[The Ace]

It's not yet 10pm, so we don't HAVE a night sky yet.

In Perth itself, light pollution is pretty bad, but as little as 5 miles out, it clears considerably.

 

[AnyaKimlin]

It's not yet 10pm, so we don't HAVE a night sky yet.

In Perth itself, light pollution is pretty bad, but as little as 5 miles out, it clears considerably.

Yes there is that issue in the summer - I'm a few miles North and at 2359 the sun is still setting and it will be properly back up about 3am.

 

[DZara]

Too much light pollution here to see the night sky fully - I don't think I've ever seen the massive stars with the purple space clouds I've always seen in books. One of my bucket list items - to actually see the sky.