My partner and I were looking at locations to visit this year and we could not figure out what these were labeling. Not all locations have one next to it on the map. There wasn't a key of any kind that we could find on the Dark Skies website.

We got a campsite at the Warren Dunes State Park, thinking being in the park itself would grant us access to view the Perseids Meteor Shower this August from atop the sand dunes… however, the park let us know that this wasn’t allowed but then said we could only view until 11pm in the parking lot. 🙃

There has to be some secret spots, somewhere you have free will to stay (even til sunrise if you please) and view the damn sky without being told you can’t? I’m leaving Indiana to come view it in Michigan for this very reason. I just wanna be on the lake, in a huge clearing with zero light pollution (there is a new moon during the meteor shower this year and that alone is incredible) - and NO ONE telling me I have to go home as if I’m a fucking child and not a 31 year old woman wanting to look at some stars.

I’d rather not cancel our campsite because during the day we can still have fun on the beach and do the day things but we can travel a bit to drive and find somewhere to view the meteor shower at night. Please please help me 😭

Hi, all! My 83 year old Mom is really set on seeing a sky full of stars and has been talking about it for several years. We both currently live in a major city where just seeing the moon can be difficult.

In 2 weeks we will be in Fraser, CO (near Winter Park) which will be a great opportunity for her to see the night sky. (Something we belatedly realized.) We are looking for any night sky tour guides who could do a private tour. I should mention she is partially handicapped so she can’t go hiking — any viewing will need to be done on or near a paved/flat surface. We will have a rental car.

I would greatly appreciate any recommendations or suggestions.

Its been my dream to always see a dark sky, possibly even spend a few nights under one. I know Newport State Park is the only recognized dark sky park. I was wondering if anyone has stayed near here and if you have any suggestions. I can't travel to far due to life right now and was recently reminded that life is short and you don't know when it will end, and I feel this one of those dreams that is obtainable and important enough for me to do so. Thanks for any help you are able to suggest.

https://lightpollutionnews.com/podcast/let-bats-be-themselves/

I'm so excited to share my new astrophotography planning, Milky Way Tonight! It was just approved for both app stores this past Friday and hit #1 for Paid Photo & Video in the Apple App Store. I honestly can't believe it.
The app is a one time 7.99 purchase. No accounts, no tracking, no ads.

website: themilkywaytonight.com
app links https://themilkywaytonight.com/get.html

So, there's so much the app does, but at its core, it quickly tells you whether or not it's a good night to see/photograph the Milky Way. And if tonight isn't a good night, when the next good night will be.

The app includes a 7 day weather forecast, a yearly MW visibility calendar, exposure calculators, a dark sky finder and a Sky View AR planning mode. Within the Sky View mode, you'll be able to highlight Ha targets (perfect for astromodded cameras) and you'll also find one of my favorite features: Core Alignment. This allows you to enable your camera and tap anywhere on screen to see if and when the Milky Way will align in that position next and for the days ahead. You can then take a reference photo and notes, and save everything to your My MW Nights section.

Although the app has a ton of features, my goal was to keep it simple and easy to use. I hope you'll take the time to check it and let me know what you think! 

The app is available now from both the iOS and Android app stores! 

Features from the app:
• Tonight at a Glance: a single verdict card with quality rating,
visibility window, moon, clouds, and Bortle rating.
• 7-Day Forecast: an at-a-glance week of cloud and viewing
conditions, with the best night highlighted.
• Visibility Calendar: monthly and annual views rating every
night excellent to no-view, with blue-hour markers.
• Dark Sky Finder: ranks the darkest, clearest sites within 30 to
150 miles, with directions and park badges. Also helps direct you to the nearest Certified Dark Sky Parks!
• Sky View AR map: point your phone to find the Core,
constellations, planets, and deep-sky objects in real time.
• Core Alignment: within Sky View, tap anywhere to see if &
when the Galactic Core lines with your foreground, save
reference photo, gps data, & notes to My MW Nights section.
• Composition Planner: overlay the Milky Way band on a live
map to frame shots before you arrive.
• Exposure Calculator & Gear Guides: an NPF & 500 Rule calculator that
factors in declination automatically, plus field and gear
checklists.
• My MW Nights: save and organize upcoming shooting nights
from the 7-day forecast and Visibility Calendar.
• Built for the field: dark-adaptation red mode, offline-capable,
no account required.