Where is the best place to go stargazing near Phoenix?
To pick a good stargazing site, several factors are important. You want to travel as far away from city lights as possible in order for the sky to be as dark as possible. You also want the immediate vicinity of your observing location to be as dark as possible in order for your eyes to fully adapt to the dark. (This process takes up to 30 minutes but can be undone in a second, so once you settle in to observe the sky you want the all lights to stay off.) Finally, you want to get above as much of the atmosphere, dust, and haze in order to get a good view, so high altitude helps. Unfortunately, the lights of Phoenix pollute the sky for hundreds of kilometers around. You can get some relief by driving an hour or two out of town. You can head north or east to the state parks or the national forests, or south or west on I-10 and then take an exit on a remote road. If you can get away from direct view of lights (especially headlights of passing cars) so that your eyes can stay adapted to the
