- City lights pollute the night sky. But there are still places to go for meteor showers and stargazing.
- Dark sky parks and IDA-certified locations are the best places to view cosmic events.
- From Alaska to Wyoming, here's a list of some of the darkest skies in each of the 50 US states.
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Light pollution, which is caused by artificial lights glaring into the night sky can obstruct your view of catching spectacular cosmic sights like comets, distant planets, the Milky Way galaxy, and this week's spectacular Geminids meteor shower.
So in order to give yourself the best shot at seeing any cosmic show, you might want to head to an area that limits night lights. These are often officially zoned "dark sky parks", which have clear views of the night sky when the weather permits.
There is even an International Dark-Sky Association, which can dole out an official Dark Sky park status. Only the clearest of night skies, unimpeded by light pollution, are allowed the honorable IDA-certified title.
Over half of the 50 US states have at least one location that's IDA-certified. And some states, like Utah and Michigan, have many. We've compiled a list of some of the darkest places in each US state for the best front-row seats to any celestial show.
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