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You better believe it. I couldn't believe what the sky looked like at night when I moved to Australia from the UK. And I was in a relatively suburban setting t

You better believe it. I couldn't believe what the sky looked like at night when I moved to Australia from the UK. And I was in a relatively suburban setting then. I regularly go camping now maybe every 1-2 months out into the outback. And the night sky, without exaggeration and using the words here sensibly, literally, never, gets old. In my 19 years in the UK I never saw anything like it. Edit: Admittedly I think the constant cloud coverage in the UK was more of a hindrance than the light pollution here I lived. Or at least it was so fucking cloudy so fucking often, I had no idea how bad the light pollution was. I remember when I first moved here and looked up to the sky from my back yard and I could see Orions Belt. Now I'm less than a novice, I only recognised it from Men in Black (don't judge me). But that feeling I had in that moment stuck with me. And I get such a ridiculous glee when I can drive 1-2 hours from Brisbane city and see the most ridiculous night skys I've ever seen. Keep travelling west and it just gets better and better. I can't wait to visit on of the Dark Night Sky locations. NSW, Australia: https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/conservation-and-heritage/our-parks/dark-sky-parks https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/conservation-and-herita...

titzer 6y ago
Ah man, damn it! I spent 10 months in Australia, but most of it was during lockdown, and I didn't have a car. I only got 1 week of travel and didn't see much of the stars. My best experience was in Fiji and New Zealand, but I imagine that the outback could be even better. I've gone out to Mojave on super clear nights. Vegas is easily visible, almost like a sunrise. The Great Smoky Mountains look good on paper (light pollution map), but in practice they are quite clowdy / hazy, so viewing isn't good. I imagine northern Canada could also be quite good.
- LilBytes 6y ago
  Man that sucks! Were you mostly in Melbourne during this time? They were in lock down for a long time but most of the rest of the country was only 1-2 months of severe lock down (hard limits on leaving the suburb and then later, a hard 50KM limit from your place of residence).
  - titzer 6y ago
    I was in Canberra, which wasn't technically locked down for all that long, so I could probably have gone out more. It was generally very demotivating being there during the pandemic, so I mostly just farted around the lake on my bike. It's a big lake, though! Cheers and happy trails. I'll return to Aus sometime!
jiggawatts 6y ago
For me the real shock was Lord Howe Island, which is 600km from the mainland and surrounded by nothing but open ocean. At night, the entire island has only a few dozens lights on for marine safety, powered by a diesel generator. On a clear, moonless night the sky is just unbelievable. You can see several galaxies with the naked eye, which is not something I had experienced before!
- LilBytes 6y ago
  Thanks for this! I will absolutely need to visit!

titzer 6y ago

Ah man, damn it! I spent 10 months in Australia, but most of it was during lockdown, and I didn't have a car. I only got 1 week of travel and didn't see much of the stars. My best experience was in Fiji and New Zealand, but I imagine that the outback could be even better. I've gone out to Mojave on super clear nights. Vegas is easily visible, almost like a sunrise. The Great Smoky Mountains look good on paper (light pollution map), but in practice they are quite clowdy / hazy, so viewing isn't good. I imagine northern Canada could also be quite good.

LilBytes 6y ago
Man that sucks! Were you mostly in Melbourne during this time? They were in lock down for a long time but most of the rest of the country was only 1-2 months of severe lock down (hard limits on leaving the suburb and then later, a hard 50KM limit from your place of residence).
- titzer 6y ago
  I was in Canberra, which wasn't technically locked down for all that long, so I could probably have gone out more. It was generally very demotivating being there during the pandemic, so I mostly just farted around the lake on my bike. It's a big lake, though! Cheers and happy trails. I'll return to Aus sometime!

jiggawatts 6y ago

For me the real shock was Lord Howe Island, which is 600km from the mainland and surrounded by nothing but open ocean. At night, the entire island has only a few dozens lights on for marine safety, powered by a diesel generator. On a clear, moonless night the sky is just unbelievable. You can see several galaxies with the naked eye, which is not something I had experienced before!

LilBytes 6y ago
Thanks for this! I will absolutely need to visit!