Last fall, my husband and I decided to take our toddler camping in a remote part of Utah鈥攆ar from the nearest town, far from the crowded national parks, far from anything, really. Campfires were banned because of drought, and I was bummed that we wouldn鈥檛 get to do the whole s鈥檓ores and roasted hotdogs thing. My disappointment didn鈥檛 last long, though. Shortly after the sun set, the sky exploded above us. The stars were so numerous and bright they were almost psychedelic, and the night sky felt enormous spread over the open desert. Undistracted by the flames of a campfire, we lay on our backs, picked out constellations, told stories, and simply stared in wonder.
Such experiences are increasingly rare in our lit-up world. Two out of every three Americans from their homes in light-polluted cities, which means that, unless caregivers intentionally introduce kids to the night sky, children may grow up without the sense of awe and connection that gazing at the cosmos has inspired for thousands of years.
A stargazing sojourn is an inexpensive and enchanting way to break up summertime monotony. For ideas on how to make it happen, I consulted a new book called by Chris Salisbury, an outdoor educator who鈥檚 spent 25 years taking kids on nocturnal adventures. The book gives adults ideas for activities to get kids outside after the sun goes down, from night hikes to trapping moths. It鈥檚 also a fascinating meditation on humans鈥 relationship with darkness and how it鈥檚 changed over time. As Salisbury writes, 鈥淲e impoverish ourselves by avoiding the darkness.鈥
So, if you鈥檙e ready to enrich your child鈥檚 life with the dark鈥攐r at least, with some stargazing鈥攈ere鈥檚 where to start.
Find a Dark Sky
First, you鈥檒l want to look at a and choose a night with a new or crescent moon鈥攁ny moon phase bigger than that will be so bright it obscures stars and planets. Next, consult the International Dark-Sky Association website to figure out which of their are closest to you. If there isn鈥檛 one within striking distance, of light pollution can help you find the next best thing. And finally, don鈥檛 forget to check the weather forecast鈥攜ou don鈥檛 want rain or clouds to (ahem) put a damper on your sky-watching party.
Ditch Your Headlamp
According to Wild Nights Out, it can take 45 minutes for our eyes to fully adjust to the darkness, and just a second of exposure to artificial light to disrupt this night vision. If you resist the urge to turn on your headlamp or flashlight for a while, you might be surprised by how well you can see, and how incredibly bright the stars seem. If you must have a light source, Salisbury recommends a simple for providing an unobtrusive glow.
Get Comfy
Make sure everyone in the family has warm clothes (if necessary) and a blanket or mat to lie on. Pack a thermos of hot chocolate or a bottle of lemonade and some special treats, and make sure everything is accessible in your pack. You don鈥檛 want to interrupt your stargazing by turning on a light to dig around for snacks or an extra layer.
Sprinkle in Some Science
Stargazing is an excellent opportunity to sneak some STEM into your kids鈥 summer: many kids already love the idea of outer space, and stargazing gives you a reason to teach them about the solar system, the speed of light, or basic principles of astronomy. Wild Nights Out offers excellent primers on these topics, as well as stories and information on constellations. Salisbury writes that the 鈥渄og star鈥 Sirius, for example, is the brightest star in the sky not only because of its relatively close proximity to earth but because of the presence of a companion star, or 鈥減up,鈥 that boosts its shine. Sirius also helps you locate two constellations, Canis major and Canis minor, which first emerge during the 鈥渄og days鈥 of summer and inspired numerous traditional tales about celestial wolves, foxes, dogs, and jackals.
Before heading out, you can also print customized star and planet maps from or to get an idea of what constellations will be visible from your location and what they look like. To take it a step further, have your kids make a using a compass, pencil, and paper.
Look and Listen
Places with dark skies also tend to be relatively quiet places鈥攁nother rarity in our hyper-connected world. As you observe the spectacle overhead, take a few minutes to stop talking and listen to the nighttime sounds around you. You might hear the hoot of an owl, the swoosh of a bat鈥檚 wings, the croaking of frogs, the sawing of crickets, or even just the wind whispering through grass or trees.
Add a Cultural Component
For all of human history, the stars, moon, and planets have inspired stories, aided in navigation, structured calendars, and jump-started our imaginations. In addition to teaching kids about science, stargazing offers a great excuse to talk about human culture as well. Perhaps you can look up your own ancestors鈥 celestial mythology鈥攁n , for example, tells how the Milky Way came to be. Or see if you can find a story or poem from the Indigenous people whose land you鈥檙e on. If you鈥檙e in northern Arizona, for instance, you might tell your kids that you鈥檙e on the homelands of the Din茅 people, then explain how the Din茅 life. If you can鈥檛 find such information, Greek myths about the cosmos are readily available, such as the story of the .