California is one of the largest land mass states in the United States. It also houses the largest population of any U.S. state. California is the third largest state based on land mass in the U.S.
Due to so much land throughout the state, California offers an abundance of dark skies to view the stars above. If you live around the major metropolitan cities you will need to travel a ways to escape the light pollution.
The Milky Way is one of the most spectacular things to view in the night sky. California has some of the darkest skies in the U.S. The Milky Way is difficult to view with much light pollution so it is important to view with dark skies. The Milky Way is an amazing site in the dark skies and is just stunning to view.
When visiting these dark sky areas the stars tend to come to life with a vibrant feel. If you want to see the Milky Way or photograph it then you must be in a dark region for best results.
Best Time to View the Milky Way
In order to view the Milky Way it is important to understand when to view it. Just because you go out at night in a dark area doesn’t mean you will see it. It doesn’t reside in the same place all the time, as it moves in the sky throughout the year. Why does the Milky Way move? As the earth’s axis rotates the skies move around as well.
Are you in the northern hemisphere and have a trip planned for December in hopes of viewing the Milky Way? If so, you will surely be very disappointed. In the northern hemisphere, the Milky Way is well below the horizon at night in December and January.
Check out the best times to view and photograph the Milky Way using the calendar below.
| Month | Milky Way Core Rises | Milky Way Core Sets |
|---|---|---|
| January | N/A | N/A |
| February | 4am | 5:30am |
| March | 3am | 5:45am |
| April | 1am | 4:45am |
| May | 11pm | 4am |
| June | 10:30pm | 3:30am |
| July | 10:30pm | 3:45am |
| August | 9:30pm | 1:30am |
| Septemeber | 8:30pm | 11:30pm |
| October | 8pm | 9:30pm |
| November | N/A | N/A |
| December | N/A | N/A |
Best Places to View the Milky Way
There are many places to view the Milky Way throughout the state of California. Below is a list of our 5 favorite places to view the Milky Way.
Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park straddles the California-Nevada border, east of the Sierra Nevada’s. Death Valley is the largest, hottest, driest and lowest national park in the contiguous United States. The park is home to many species of plants and animals that have adapted to this harsh desert environment.
For more information about Death Valley National Park, click here.
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite is one of the largest national parks in the Sierra Nevada’s, and the park supports a variety of plants and animals. It is best known for its waterfalls but it offers an abundance of other amazing features. The park elevations range from 2,127ft to 13,114ft. About 50% of California’s plant species reside in the Sierra Nevada’s and more than 20% are within Yosemite.
For more information about Yosemite National Park, click here.
Alabama Hills
Alabama Hills features exceptional skies for Southern California. The low level of light pollution meets or exceeds conditions in many other popular nearby areas for amateur astronomy. On a clear night with no moon, a visitor with good, dark adapted vision may see the Andromeda galaxy with the unaided eye. The Milky Way core may appear highly structured under these conditions.
For more information about Alabama Hills, click here.
Kings Canyon National Park
Kings Canyon National Park resides in the southern Sierra Nevada’s, in Fresno and Tulare Counties, California. The park was originally established in 1890 as General Grant National Park. March 4, 1940, the park was expanded and renamed Kings Canyon National Park. The park’s namesake, Kings Canyon, is a rugged glacier-carved valley more than a mile deep. Other natural features include multiple 14,000ft peaks, high mountain meadows, swift-flowing rivers, and some of the world’s largest giant sequoia trees.
For more information about Kings Canyon National Park, click here.
Mojave National Preserve
Mojave National Preserve is located on the south side of Interstate 40 across from Baker, CA. This National Preserve spans across rugged mountains and canyons and shelters mountain lions, coyotes and bats. The preserve is one of the newer preserves as it was established October 31, 1994. It is the third largest National Park in the CONUS at 1,542,776 acres. Due to its large land size, it offers plenty of dark skies at night as it resides far from any cities.
For more information about Mojave National Preserve, click here.
Conclusion
In today’s article I offered you some of the best places and times to view the Milky Way. The locations mentioned are far enough away from any cities which offers ample dark skies. Remember, just because you visit one of these locations doesn’t mean you will see the Milky Way.
There are a number of things that must line up in order to view the Milky Way. The locations mentioned offer dark skies but you also need to know when the Milky Way is in view. One other note to consider is avoid viewing when the moon is lit. Moonlight is bright enough to wash out many stars as well as the Milky Way, even in the darkest locations.
The best setup for viewing the Milky Way is:
- Darkest skies
- New moon
- No clouds or less than 10%
- Time of year and night
There you go, you now have what you need to view the Milky Way. The Milky Way isn’t always the easiest to spot in the sky so it helps to use an app. Star Walk 2 is a terrific app to assist you with locating the Milky Way as well as many other stars in the night sky.
Now all you need to do is get outside and follow the above instructions to view the Milky Way.
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