Looking up at the sky is a good way to clear your mind and find quiet wherever you travel, whether you happen to be in the midst of a city or out on the country side. Winter skies in the northern hemisphere often seem to hold especial clarity, too, whether it’s a full moon you see, or a dark sky with stars, or the shining bit of a crescent moon, or any of that seen through passing clouds.
Native Americans recognized this in the names they gave to the moons which arise during this season: Hunter’s Moon, Long Cold Moon, Wolf Moon…
This photograph was made in the season of Long Cold Moon, at the end of December.
At times, these days, it is difficult to find places to see the dark in night sky. The well named Dark Sky Organization is an international group working on encouraging people to recognize the value of night skies and what may be lost to light pollution in the night. Starlight Reserves works on this as well.
Have you been in a place where the night sky is truly dark? There is a certain peace about that experience., if you let it sink in.
What country has the most opportunity to experience dark skies, as researched by these international organizations? Scotland.