Joshua trees under the Milky Way, California, United States

© Chao Zhang/Getty Image

Under the spell of the Milky Way. International Dark Sky Week

Imagine standing under a sky so dark that the Milky Way stretches across it like a luminous ribbon. This is the experience that International Dark Sky Week aims to bring back. Every April, during the week of the new moon (this year from April 21 to 27), we are invited to turn off our lights and gaze at the stars. The event was initiated by Jennifer Barlow, a high school student of Midlothian, Virginia, in 2003, to combat light pollution. One of the best places to experience the night sky's beauty is Joshua Tree National Park in southeastern California, an International Dark Sky Park. Here, the absence of artificial light allows visitors to see the stars as our ancestors once did. Did you know that light pollution prevents us from seeing most of the stars in the Milky Way? By reducing it, we can reconnect with the universe's beauty and wonder.