The Milky Way is the galaxy that includes our Solar System, with the name describing the galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye.
he term Milky Way is a translation of the Latin via lactea, from the Greek γαλακτικός κύκλος (galaktikos kýklos), meaning "milky circle." From Earth, the Milky Way appears as a band because its disk-shaped structure is viewed from within. Galileo Galilei first resolved the band of light into individual stars with his telescope in 1610. Until the early 1920s, most astronomers thought that the Milky Way contained all the stars in the Universe. Following the 1920 Great Debate between the astronomers Harlow Shapley and Heber Curtis, observations by Edwin Hubble showed that the Milky Way is just one of many galaxies.
Seeing the Milky Way in all its glory should be on everyone’s bucket list. In the ancient world—a world free from bright lights—it’s something you couldn’t help but marvel at.
Today, the light pollution in nearly any city makes the Milky Way all but invisible. When you do get to see it, on a moonless night and in its full splendor, it’s very hard not to be in complete awe. The sight is all at once humbling, inspiring, and for many, deeply spiritual. Totally bucket list-worthy!
These are some suitable places to see the Milky Way.
1. ARCHES NATIONAL PARK, USA
Arches National Park is one of the best places to see the Milky Way in the United States.
Located in Utah, this high desert landscape on the Colorado Plateau offers two of the key factors you need to see the Milky Way; it’s away from the main sources of light pollution, and it’s located at a very high elevation (5,000+ ft).
The geological formations at Arches make you feel like you’re on another planet at night, and for many reasons, this is, in my opinion, the best place to photograph the Milky Way in the US.
The best locations to shoot the Milky Way in Arches NP are Delicate Arch, Turret Arch, and Balanced Rock.
2. BANFF, CANADA
Banff National Park is, without a doubt, one of the best places to see the Milky Way in Canada.
Located in the Canadian Rockies, this huge area, formed by other National Parks like Kootenay and Jasper, offers some of the best places where you can see the Milky Way in North America.
The only source of light pollution to consider is the town of Banff, but this is surrounded by mountains, so as long as you leave town, you can enjoy amazing views of our galaxy.
The best places to photograph the Milky Way in Banff are around the Icefields Parkway, where you can find spots completely away from light pollution at elevations above 6,000 ft.
3. LA PALMA, SPAIN
La Palma is part of the Spanish Canary Islands, and it’s one of the best places to see and photograph the Milky Way on our planet.
Astronomers from all over the world travel to La Palma for the same reason. The street lights are specially designed to avoid light pollution, and most of the inland peaks are located at an altitude over 5,000 ft.
The best place to photograph the Milky Way in La Palma is the “Roque de los Muchachos”. This is the highest peak on La Palma island where you can see the Milky Way above the clouds at an altitude of almost 8,000 ft. Here you can also find one of the most important observatories in the world: the “Roque de los Muchachos observatory.“
