On the chilling night of August 2015, I saw the Milky way with my bare naked eyes in the dark sky of Nako.
Many times I have sighted different constellations and parts of galactic lights. But nothing was a match for what I saw in Nako. After this, I was always wondering on how can I spot this marvellous sighting again.....
Technically we're in the Milky Way galaxy; so its weird to search for Milky way. What we need to look out for is the Milky Way Galactic Center. And the best times to observe the bright galactic center of the Milky Way, from any part of the world, tends to be from about mid-March through mid-October.
One of the most important factors that contributes to the visibility of the Milky Way is the time of observation. It moves across the sky throughout the course of the night and the position of the Milky Way will differ depending on the time of year.
I was lucky that I was rewarded with this beautiful sight after a tough ride through the broken Spiti trail. I was not carrying high end camera to capture the sighting as I believe in experiencing the moment than capturing it...
Here is the list of some of the places where you can catch a glimpse of Milky Way Galactic Center:
(1) NAKO, India
Nako has no light pollution. The population of this place is very less, always resulting to clear skies. So you can usually sight the Milky Way Galactic Center here on any dark day when there is no moon light.
(2) Natural Bridges Monument, Utah
It is the first certified Dark Sky Park of US.
It’s possible to see up to 15,000 stars throughout the night in this place — in contrast, you can see fewer than 500 in most cities.
(3) Cherry Springs State Park, Pennsylvania
This is rugged 82-acre state park is surrounded by the 262,000-acre Susquehannock State Forest making it a perfect Night Sky Viewing area
(4) Some other places in India
If you strategically plan your your trip by considering the best weather and the the right time of year with no moon light; then you can get a glimpse of Milky Way Galactic Center from the following places that have the less population and less light pollution.
1. Jaisalmer and Bikaner in Rajasthan
2. Sarchu and Nubra in Jammu and Kashmir
3. Kuari Pass in Uttarakhand
4. Hatu Peak in Himachal Pradesh
5. Neil Island in Andaman