The Ultimate Best Destinations and Gear for Stargazing Checklist | 2021

Henlow! How are you doing? Stargazing? Camping out under the big blue sky and the stars… staring at stars and wonderstruck? Well, today keeping the title in mind; we will share some of the best destinations and gear for Stargazing…

The mesmerizing science behind Stargazing?

Well to begin with, the art of looking into the skies and spotting constellations has been going on for a very long time. It is nothing but one of the most satisfying hobbies that one can get into.

You have a beautiful view of the heavens and get to learn a fair bit about what’s up there.

Recently Stargazing has become very popular. People love gazing at the stars with their special telescopes. The mesmerizing beauty of twinkling stars.

On the other hand, Stargazing has been a traditional part of astronomy. And many people do not know that Stargazing is actually a science.

The word astronomy is derived from Greek words meaning “Law of the stars”. So, basically Stargazing, uranology, astrography, sky-watching, and selenology is the study of stars and celestial bodies.

Celestial bodies which are visible to naked eyes like the sun, the moon, stars and also the objects that aren’t visible like faraway galaxies, the planets, and every tiny particle.

All this mesmerizing existence can be viewed clearly with telescopes and other instruments.

Today there are many amateurs as well as professional researchers striving to know everything about the stars and other space bodies. Observers try to explain the patterns they see which are named as constellations.

Also, there is a huge demand for the information about these bodies in the present-day world. It is a vast subject and all the information available is quite vast.

However, it is the best that nature has offered us… the heavenly view from the land.

What is the best time for Stargazing?

The best time to stargaze is before, during and shortly after each new phase of the moon, when there’s no moon within the sky.

As the world continues to spin on its axis, we continue to spin on our as we do, taking in the sights along the way. Among those sights is the sky, which never ceases to amaze and inspire.

If you’re interested in seeing some celestial sights, here’s the best time for Stargazing throughout the year.

Stargazing conditions?

Undoubtedly there are some particular environmental conditions like atmosphere, weather which can give you the best experience as well as spoil the whole experience.

The best experience you can get is during dark starry night, when the sky is clear and no haze. Even the environment should be pollution free. Far from city lights and the wind flow should be slow.

Best Observing seasons-

The best seasons for Stargazing are termed as Observing seasons by the astronomers.

• Autumn
• Winter
• Spring

The Best Destinations for Stargazing?

Well, have you ever wondered about the best place to go for stargazing? The night skies across the world are unique and beautiful.

From the deserts of Namibia to the villages of Faroe Islands there are a number of amazing locations around the world where you can enjoy the beauty of the stars.

As a lot of people enjoy the beauty of starry skies, there are plenty of places you can find stargazing destinations all over the world. Some of the foremost popular are listed below:

Here’s a list of the best places where you can enjoy stargazing.

1. Bryee Canyon National Park, Utah
2. Namibrand Nature Reserve, Namibia
3. La Palma and Tenerife, Canary Islands
4. Mauna Sea, Hawaii
5. Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal
6. Kerry International Dark Sky Reserve, Ireland
7. Denali National Park Reserve, Alaska
8. Atacama Desert and Elqui Valley, Chile
9. The Lonar Crater/Lonar Lake, Buldhana District, Maharashtra
10. Neil Island, Port Blair
11. Katao Sikkim
12. Cherry Spring State Park, Central Pennsylvania
13. Headlands International Dark Park, Mackinaw City
14. National Bridges National Movement, Southeastern Utah
15. Death Valley National Park, Nevada
16. Goldendale Observatory, Washington
17. Rann of Kutch, Gujarat
18. Sonmarg, J&K
19. Jaisalmer, Rajasthan
20. Pangong Tso, Leh Ladakh
21. Nubra Valley, Leh Ladakh
22. Monte Bondone, Italy
23. Hortobagy National Park, Hungary
24. Sedona International Dark Sky Community, Arizona, US
25. Monsaraz, Portugal
26. Calea Canyon, Peru
27. The Arabian Desert, United Arab Emirates
28. Wave Rock, Hyden, Australia
29. Lucky Bay, Esperance, Australia
30. Woolen Station, Murchison Region, Australia
31. Lake Clifton, Mandurah, Australia
32. Bar Lake, Sierra National Forest
33. Taft Point, Yosemite National Park
34. Buffalo Park, McMillan Mesa
35. Lowell Observatory, Arizona
36. Sunset Crater Volcano National Movement
37. Wu palki National Movement, Arizona
38. Lake Mary, Arizona
39. Lockett Meadow, Arizona
40. Elk Island National Park, Canada
41. Mount Batur, Bali, Indonesia
42. Northern Berland National Park, England
43. Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
44. Cosmic Campground International Dark Sky Sanctuary, New Mexico, US
45. Hatu Peak, Himachal Pradesh
46. Narkanda, Himachal Pradesh
47. Dasada, Gujarat
48. Astroport, Delhi
49. Lonavala, Pune
50. Dahanu, Pune
51. Coorg, Bangalore
52. Hampi, Bangalore
53. Hosahalli, Bangalore
54. Kuari Pass, Uttarakhand
55. Rookund, Uttarakhand
56. Mandarmani, Kolkata
57. Munsiari, Uttarakhand
58. Shambhu Prajapat Eco-friendly Stay, Jodhpur
59. Wayanad Ranches Resorts, Wayanad
60. Cuba Agonda, Goa

Factors that can affect your Stargazing session?

Stargazing is one of the best activities you can do at night with your family, friends or alone as well. However, there are so many factors affecting the number of stars you will be able to see. Like –

1. Moonlights/Summer twilight: well, stargazing during twilight can also give you wonderful view of the sunset and many more like the Belt of Venus, the Moon, Vega, Arcturus, Antares, Capella and other summer stars. Well, summer twilight tour is usually done in the month of July. However, if you’re someone who wants to see more prominent heavenly stars, the galaxies faraway, then we suggest you too plan a stargazing tour during the suitable seasons.
2. City lights/Light pollution : The night sky are getting brighter every year. This is called light pollution. It is not just bad for stargazing but it can also be bad for wildlife.

The top gears for Stargazing?

Well, if you have a telescope then you would have thought of going stargazing. If you have a telescope but never tried stargazing, then you certainly have missed out on a lot of great experiences.

Stargazing is a great hobby to have. And well, we do not need a high-end telescope to enjoy the wonders of the universe either. However, to be able to see them perfectly and understand them, we do need to use some gears and instruments.

And for those who’ve been stargazing as well the armatures, here are some gears that you might need to bring a better experience.

1. Telescopes: There are four different types of telescopes, like reflectors, hybrids, refractors and Dobson.
   • Celestron SkyProdigy 130
   • Orion’s SkyQuest XT8i Intelliscope
   • Levenhuk SkyMatic 105 GT Mak-Cas
   • Celetron’s AstroFi 90 WiFi

2. Low and high-power eyepieces
3. Finderscope
4. Astronomy app
   • Star Walk 2 Free
   • Star Tracker
   • SkyView Lite
   • Night Sky
   • Sky Map
   • SkySafari
   • Stellarium Mobile
   • Nightshift
   • Sky Live
   • Mobile Observatory Free
   • Solar Walk 2
   • GoSkyWatch Planetarium
   • Star Map Tracker
   • NASA

5. Flashlight
6. Binoculars
   • Celestron SkyMaster 25×100
   • Orion’s20x80 Astronomy
   • Oberwerk Mariner 8×40
   • Celestron Nature DX 8×42
   • Opticron Adventurer II WP 10×50
   • Vortex 10×50 Crossfire HD
   • Nikon 10×50 Aculon A211
   • Meade Instruments 15×70 Astro
   • Celestron UpClose G2 10×50
   • Nikon Action EX 12×50
   • Celestron TrailSeeker 8×42
7. Astronomer’s toolkit
   • Interactive sky chart
   • Screwdriver
   • Optic cleaning supplies or lens pen

8. A big carpet or towel
9. Stargazing tent for backpacking
   • Kelty Dirt Motel Tent
   • Kelty Night Owl 4P
   • MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2-p tent
   • Big Agnes – Copper Spur HV Ultralight Backpacking tent
   • Coleman Sundome 4-P tent
   • CORE 9 Person Extended Dome tent
   • AlPS Mountaineering Lynx 4-P tent
   • Marmot Tungsten 3P tent
   •  Lightspeed Vermont 4P tent
   • Mobile Inflatable Bubble tent
   • Outdoor Inflatable Bubble tent
   • Mountainsmith Morrison tent

10. Creature comfort – a bug spray, depending on the season.
11. Other accessories
    • Observing chair
    • Folding camp table
    • Red light flashlight
    • Portable power
    • Telescope dust cloak