Experts lay down rules and reveal timings to catch a glimpse of the Milky Way without telescopes
Celestial bodies and mysterious regions in space such as black holes captured using sophisticated telescopes may not be visible when we gaze at the sky, but human beings can catch a glimpse of eclipses, planets, and other celestial phenomena once in a while. As much as we love ogling at them through photography or videography, witnessing the beauty of our universe with the naked eye is an unparalleled experience. Now scientists have revealed how those who do not have access to telescopes can finally watch the Milky Way from their homes.
People of North America and Europe will have a shot at viewing the star-studded Milky Way from June to October on specific dates. According to Live Science, all one needs to do is get up by 4 a.m. and hope that the moon is not shining bright enough. It's even better if the moon is not visible for 10 nights around the time of the new moon. A crescent moon normally sets after the dark specifically from the last quarter moon till three nights after the new moon.
According to Capture The Atlas, it's possible to see the Milky Way from the Northern Hemisphere from March to September, and for the Southern Hemisphere, that window expands by about a month on each side. The best dates to view the Milky Way are between June 28 to July 8, July 28 to August 7, August 26 to September 6, and September 24 to October 5. But we can't just step out after sundown and expect to get a good view, since the time of sunrise and sunset in July and August often restrict the hours of darkness.
Those who seek the magnificent view also need to let their eyes adapt to the dark for at least 20 minutes before darkness falls. Not looking at any bright source of light including your smartphone screen would be a great idea too. People can also opt to use DarkSky's Find A Dark Sky Place feature or the Dark Site Finder. Checking out a light pollution map to find the perfect dark spot for stargazing is also a great solution. People living in the southern part of North America are bound to get a better view of the Milky Way.
Constellations like Sagittarius, which is also the home to the galaxy's brightest central black hole, will be visible from New York at 41 degrees north. The constellation will appear 15 degrees higher in the sky if somebody wants a take a look at it from Miami. According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, more than 80% of the world's population has never had the luck to see the Milky Way at night due to various reasons. A researcher and study's co-author at the GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences in Germany worked on an experiment to further understand the impact of artificial light during nighttime on ecosystems at the LakeLab facility.
Falchi and his colleagues created the first world atlas of artificial night sky brightness to determine how pollution caused by artificial lights and pollutants released in the atmosphere by burning fuel is responsible for a blurred view of the night sky. Studies show that 99% of the U.S. and European countries live under light-polluted skies and the level of brightness coming from the artificial light substantially obscures astronomical observations.