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Hello Darkness, My Old Friend: 7 Starry Skies Across the Globe

Written by Rj Ross | April 4, 2021

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Darkness is often affiliated with negativity: death, depression, and evil. Amidst all those words associated with it, there is beauty within our buddy darkness. As humans, when we close our eyes to partake in devotion, meditation, or slumber, we envision said beauty in the form of zen or escape from our everyday issues. Now, let’s apply the beauty in darkness to the environment. Come sundown, depart from the artificial city lights to an area of less light pollution, and look to the skies. Not only will the moon gorgeously radiate its nocturnal energy, but so will the dazzling stars surrounding you, making you the center of astronomical excellence. Not only is there beauty within this outdoor opacity, but there are benefits, improving wildlife and the usage of energy.

International Dark Sky Week (April 5, 2021 – April 12, 2021) encourages spreading awareness and the importance of preserving dark skies showcasing how amazing Mother Nature’s darkness can be. Instead of pretending that airplanes in the night skies are like shooting stars, visit an area with dark skies – approved by the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) – to make your wish on a real star. Like the number of days in a week, we at ecomadic gathered up seven, IDA-certified dark-sky sites around the world to stargaze and influence you to lessen the light pollution in your community!

Ridgway, Colorado – United States

One of the three cities in Colorado with the Dark Sky stamp, Ridgway is a town filled with outdoor adventures and glistening skies come sundown. The town takes pride in its dark sky throughout the area, its official website provides tips on how to maintain the dark sky. From usage of low-watt, LED and fluorescent lights, to shielding the light from shining anywhere but downwards, these pointers preserve Ridgway’s dark-sky and allows residents and visitors to enjoy many marvelous images from up above. From any balcony, rooftop, or patio, experience a cliquant display of the milky way, constellations, planets, and even satellites! Travel to Ridgway, Colorado for a celestial view in the Centennial State!

Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park – Japan

Located in the Okinawa Prefecture, Iriomote-Ishigaki not only preserves Japan’s only tropical rainforest, but one of the darkest skies in the continent of Asia. The park already has plenty to do in the daytime, such as touring the forests, and various water recreation activities on the island’s breathtaking beaches, but the fun doesn’t end after hours. With tourism playing a major role in Okinawa’s economy, the residents, government officials, and Japan’s Ministry of the Environment put in effort to educate and improve the dark-sky via night tours outside or on the island’s observatory. Annually, there is a celebration event of the park’s dark-skies called the Southern Island Star Festival, which local acts, and Japan’s celebrities put on ravishing performances. For top-tier night skies in a tropical territory, grab your visa and come visit Okinawa’s National Park!

NamibRand Nature Reserve – Namibia

Moseying on to the Motherland, discover a nature reserve in Namibia, home to Africa’s first IDA-certified setting! While the private reserve staff teaches visitors the benefits of protecting biodiversity and wildlife in the Namib Desert, they also provide information on the joys of less light pollution through its tours, lodging, and educational programs via the Namib Desert Environmental Education Trust (NADEET). Stay at the Kwessi Dunes lodge, or the many camps and lodges through Wolwedans, with each stay having a space for guests to go stargazing and be in awe of the astronomical art above. Some stays even allow the opportunity for guests to sleep under the sparkly stars. Enjoy stellar skies, sustainability, and environmental science when you make a sojourn at NamibRand Nature Reserve!

Lauwersmeer National Park – The Netherlands

In a country well-known for its “red-light district”, it contains a “district” with no lights at all. The Lauwersmeer National Park in the Friesland and Groningen provinces of Holland has skies so clear, dark, and starry, one could call it the starlight district. In a country that has a lot of nighttime tourist attractions, the National Park provides an escape from the vibrancy of the crowds and artificial lights to a space where sounds and visions of nature prevail. Furthermore, Lauwersmeer allows you to simultaneously enjoy various areas in the park while viewing the dark skies; that is, if you’re not afraid of the dark. Stroll to the Lauwersoog harbor, and hear the eerie, breezy sound of the harbor’s black water. Trek through Zoutkamperril and see a distant, but incandescent view of the Vierhuizen windmills and the fishing marina. However you choose to see the skies, you will leave the park appreciating darkness in the Dutch-speaking department!

Exmoor National Park – United Kingdom

The first European reserve to be designated as a Dark-Sky space by the IDA, Exmoor National Park allows night sky enthusiasts to gaze into a clear, sun-free space of over three-thousand stars on a beautiful, English night. Depending on the time of year on your Exmoor escapade, you may experience a different celestial show each time. Spot translucent skies in Spring, a surfeit of shooting stars come late summer into Autumn, and longer nights when Winter arrives. Some of the best places in the reserve to look at the night sky are Brendon Common, Bossington Hill, and Wimbleball Lake, the latter providing a dreamy, lakeside view and sky reflection. There are also many events in the Summer and Fall time promoting dark skies, the primary one being the weeklong, Dark Sky Festival in October. Enjoy nightwalks, telescope viewing, many outdoor (and online) workshops with fellow stargazers for an unforgettable experience. However you choose to enjoy your visual journey, may it entice you to enjoy nature’s beauty.

Wai-Iti – New Zealand

After years of maintaining healthy, dark skies, Wakefield, New Zealand saw its first dark sky being recognized in July of 2020. From the Wai-iti Recreational Reserve to the Tunnicliff Forest, Wai-Iti presents pure and pristine night skies filled with stars and constellations galore! Depending on the time of year (and the status of COVID-19), attend events such as the star parties, where telescopes are set up and local astronomers discuss the importance of limiting unnatural light usage. After witnessing the auroral night skies on this island, may it move you to seek change in your community, and work together for contaminant-free skies.

Flagstaff, Arizona – United States

Returning back to America, visit the first place to be officiated as an International Dark Sky Space. Leading the Dark Sky movement since 2001, this city in the Grand Canyon state makes sure that its residential community preserves the pitch-black and blue beauty up above through various outdoor lighting restrictions, and many educational activities. Due to Flagstaff’s famous dark skies, the city is also an astronomy hotspot. Space zealots can have a galactic journey throughout the town, such as the Meteor Crater & Barringer Space Museum in the downtown district. If you plan on visiting during September, stargaze at Buffalo Park, especially when the three-day annual star party comes to town. Not in the mood for an open-air viewing at a park field? Stop by the Lowell Observatory, a space sanctuary in Flagstaff filled with telescopes for your peeking pleasures, and tours and exhibitions with such a rich history in astronomy, and the Arizonan city. Make your time in Flagstaff, and any dark sky reserve, an enjoyable and enlightening moment to eternally treasure!

Hello Darkness, My Old Friend: 7 Starry Skies Across the Globe