Western Australia is home to some of the darkest night skies in the world and is the envy of stargazers in many other parts of the world including Europe, America and Asia. It makes stargazing in Western Australia out of this world!
In some brightly lit cities, it’s impossible to see one star, let alone the billions and trillions that we can see from our backyard in WA.
The first advantage WA has is that Perth is the most isolated capital city in the world which means it’s very easy to escape the bright city lights to experience wonderful dark night skies full of stars. The population in regional and outback WA is relatively small. It’s dispersed over a large area. This means that country towns naturally have very low levels of light pollution creating great places for stargazing and astronomy.
The second great advantage WA has is that we have clean air and low levels of humidity. Air quality is important for stargazing. Artificial light reflects off particles in the air or atmosphere and reduces our ability to see the stars. No air pollution and generally low humidity levels makes conditions ideal for stargazing in WA.
We’re also located in the Southern Hemisphere. Here, you have the best views of the Milky Way Galaxy. From the Southern Hemisphere you can see the quintessential Southern Cross, the Magellanic Clouds (which are satellite galaxies to our own Milky Way Galaxy) and the beautiful Aboriginal constellation of the “Emu in the Sky”.
When you’re visiting WA, you’re bound to find a great place to gaze at the beautiful night sky. On a moonless night, the stunning Milky Way Galaxy stretches across the night sky in all its glory. It’s something that everyone on Earth should experience more often.
When you head out to do some stargazing, remember to turn out all your lights. Artificial light destroys your ability to see the stars! The darker the night sky, the more stars you’ll be able to see.
Discover What to See in the Night Sky
Each month, we’ll tell you what’s up in our beautiful WA night sky.