Milky Way night sky, mountain lake reflection
© Tony Rowell/Corbis Documentary/Getty Images
No telescope required
All of the stars that you see in the night sky are part of the Milky Way galaxy, and some part of it is visible every night. But when people speak of seeing the Milky Way with the naked eye, they usually mean the cloud-like stretch of stars that can only be seen in especially clear skies. Unless you live way out in the sticks, a good glimpse of our cosmic neighborhood requires a little travel to less light-polluted locales like Yosemite National Park.
Stone city stargazing
Sandstone arch, Milky Way night sky, Arches National Park, Utah
Orange Nebula
Milky Way Galaxy, Blue Orange Night Sky, Ocean Coast
Sicilian Stonehenge, Milky Way night sky, Sicily
Joshua Tree silhouette Milky Way Night Sky, Joshua Tree National Park, California
Stars over Sam Phan Bok
Milky Way White Sands Dunes, White Sands National Park, New Mexico
