Astrotourism is all the rage thanks to several spectacular solar eclipses that have sparked a new love of space and several upcoming meteor showers with people clamoring for telescopes. But where exactly should you go to see the stars in the sky?
In July, travel booking site Omio released its latest data on the world’s best places for stargazing. To rank the list, the team analyzed 1,400 locations across the globe and marked them as “good, partly, or poor” on the southern horizon. It also provides each site with a transparency rating (one is the best), a light pollution rating (again, one is the best), and a bottle rating, which is a “9-level digital scale” that measures the night sky brightness of a particular location. It quantifies the astronomical observability of celestial objects and the interference caused by light pollution. The lower the number, the better the view of the stars.”
The data was then averaged and ranked by top bottle rating, good clearance rating, light pollution rating, and transparency rating. After considering all this information, the team named Nebraska’s Star Party (NSP) the best “place” for celestial tourism outside of Europe.
We say “location” because the party is an annual gathering of stargazers held at the Merritt Reservoir outside Valentine, Nebraska. It is open to all and a space where even the newest hand stargazers can come and have a good time.
“For newcomers, NSP is the ideal place to learn about the wonders of paradise that cannot be seen in the city,” the event’s website explains. “Our unique beginner field school will show you the joys of exploring the sky here and in your backyard when you return home, with or without a telescope.”
The national park also explained that visitors can expect “unusually dark skies” due to the remote location, as the nearest town, Valentine, is 35 miles away. “The elevation of 3,100 feet, coupled with the fact that the dunes are a dry, sandy plateau, helps keep smog low and transparency high,” the NWS added.
However, there are other places where the United States made the list. Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park also came in third. The rest of the top 10 is made up entirely of Canadian destinations.
As for the best locations in Europe for stargazing, the team found that “Ireland is the clear winner, with eight of the top 10 attractions in Europe being in Ireland,” with Ballinskelis Beach topping the list. “The only other European countries to feature in the top 10 are Scotland and Spain,” it added.
But if you want to avoid being adventurous but still want to experience all these amazing things, check out the best hotels in the world and stargaze, which will leave you in awe without leaving the venue.
