The Darkest Skys You're Likely to See Bring Light to the World

[SorellaLaBefana]

As the glow of artificial light has spread across the world, the number of places dark enough to see a sky rich with stars has shrunk.

In North America and across Oregon, only a small percentage of the population can look up at night and see the Milky Way without the glare of light pollution.

But there are places with a night sky almost perfectly dark — where the tapestry of stars is so rich it’s almost disorienting. Indeed, one of the largest such places is located just a few hours from Salem and Eugene at the Oregon Outback International Dark Sky Sanctuary…

https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/travel/outdoors/2024/03/27/oregon-outback-international-dark-sky-sanctuary/73109030007/

Yes, there are Darker Places: All filled with Brilliant Wonder.

The Trans-Pecos here in Texas, some other parts of the North American West, vast parts of Africa, South America, Russian Steppes, Northern Canada, Alaska, the Australian Outback, Antarctica, the sky above any transoceanic vessel (on other than a Clown Cruiseship)—However this Oregon Sanctuary is unusual in being quite close to major population centers and in being *recognized* as of value simply for the comforting and illuminating darkness it brings.

It is uplifting to see that, after so many years of driving back the night, our Western Civilization now finally is finding the value of being able to see the same starlit dark night sky which our ancestors gazed upward at in wonder and amazement.



This being no longer possible in much of the overdeveloped world