Has anyone here ever been in a dark enough place to see the Milky Way with their naked eye?

Question

Have you ever seen part of the Milky Way with your naked eye? If so, where? You have to be in a very dark place with basically zero light pollution to see it.

I had a dream last night that i was in a really really dark place, i looked up in the sky and i saw nebulae, galaxies, and many many stars with my naked eye. It looked awsome and so realistic.

^ That's why im asking the question, if you're wondering ^

Answer 1

I can see it right now!!!  and so can you!!!! lol  

We live in the mily way galaxy, so you are actually in it right now.

you might be able to see other parts of it on a dark night, such as the dense plane of it.  It just looks like a bunch of stars really close together.

Answer 2

yes, it's called the country side.

Answer 3

Yeah, I have seen the Milky way with my naked eye. I live in the country where there is no lights at all at night unless we have our garage light on.  

Answer 4

yes, many times.

i have seen it from remote places in canada, in the u.s.a., in the tropics (costa rica), and in the southern hemisphere (australia).

they say the southern milky way in centaurus and carina casts a shadow. i can't say i agree with that, but it's awfully bright. you know you are in a dark location when the milky way isn't just a white streak across the sky, but you can see detail, like around the edge of the great rift.

that's a nebula in orion's sword, by the way. it's really cool.

Answer 5

Yeah, tons of times. It's not too hard, and even with a little light pollution, you can sometimes still see it.

My best views were high up in the mountains, on crystal clear nights with no Moon.

Answer 6

Find a chance on a clear night to go away from lights and look up. That big, cloudy string of stars stretching across the sky is the Milky Way. Quite a few other galaxies and nebulae are visible to the naked eye as well. For example: find the constellation of Orion. Just down from the belt, one of the "stars" that form Orion's sheath is actually a galaxy (it's the fuzzy, blob-like "star").

Answer 7

I went on a cruise to Tahiti to see Halley's comet.  Not only did I see the Milky Way, I saw the Greater and Lesser Magellanic clouds and the Southern Cross.

This, by the way, is supposed to be a lousy place to do astronomy.  The ocean reflects too much.  Other suggestions to go to the mountains or out to the countryside are helpful.  

Answer 8

yes, i was up in maine on an island and i saw the milky way. i was like someone took a purple-brown paintbrush and took a swipe at the sky. i saw lots of stars too.

Answer 9

I have seen it a few times, it's impressive. You don't need to be in a completely dark place but it helps.  The place I usually go to stargaze is just dark enough to be able to see it fairly easily.  It's about 20 minutes away from a major city on the outskirts of a small town, you can see plenty of light domes on the horizon there but once your eyes get adjusted to the dark it pops out.

While you can see other galaxies, star clusters, and an occasional nebula with the naked eye from a dark site, at best they look like a fuzzy star.  The one exception I have seen would be the Andromeda Galaxy, it is an oval shaped patch of light in the sky that is about as bright as the milky way

Answer 10

Yep...just last year when vacationing in Rocky Gap State Park in MD. It was a dark and crystal clear night...a great night for star gazing.

Answer 11

If you're more than about 20 miles from the nearest city, you should have no problem seeing the Milky Way on a clear night.

Answer 12

Yes, especially in the summer months when it's almost directly overhead.

Answer 13

Yes! I was looking at it this past weekend and its very cool to see. Just look up when there are no lights around at night and it's a very light trail in a semi-swirly pattern.

Answer 14

Yes.  I live where I have easy access to mountains.  That puts me far away from light pollution and above a majority of atmospheric distortion and attenuation.  The Milky Way is easily visible under those conditions.

Answer 15

I was, once, about 30 year ago.

I was on a train traveling from Mexico City to El Paso, Texas.  That would put me in the middle of the north Mexico Desert.

I was a truly incredible sight! The star made a milky band across the sky.

But everything looks like stars.  You can't tell the difference between stars, galaxies, and nebulas without a telescope.