Milky Way, Yosemite National Park, California, USA

© Cory Marshall/Tandem Stills + Motio

Dark Sky Week

During International Dark Sky Week, we're lucky to have this spectacular night-time view, considering that 83% of the global population lives under a light-polluted sky. Unneeded artificial light is classified as a pollutant and has been proven to have harmful side effects. Not only does it waste money and energy, but it also disrupts plants and animals, is believed to impact the climate and blocks our view of the universe. Fortunately, dark sky is a recoverable resource. There are ways to reduce our light use and improve the view of the night sky for everyone.

Encouraging people to get away from artificial light is one of the goals of International Dark Sky Week, and today’s photo shows just how magnificent that can be. Here, we’re treated to a beautiful view of the Milky Way from Yosemite National Park in California. There are precious few places in the United States where you can see the Milky Way as vividly as this.