I used to think light pollution apps were a waste of time

I always figured those apps that show light pollution maps were just for people trying to brag about their dark sky spots. But last week I was out in my backyard in Phoenix trying to spot some dim nebula and kept coming up empty. I remembered a guy on here saying he used the Bortle scale maps to find a darker patch just 20 minutes from his house. So I pulled up one of those maps on my phone and realized my own backyard was reading as Bortle 8 which is basically city center. I drove out to the edge of town where it showed Bortle 5 and suddenly I could see the Milky Way with my naked eye for the first time in months. Has anyone else had luck finding a decent spot by checking those maps instead of just guessing?

2 comments

2 Comments

kevinc8425d ago

That line about "people trying to brag about their dark sky spots" really hit me because that was exactly my attitude too. I honestly thought those light pollution maps were just another way for astrophotography guys to flex about driving four hours into the desert. But I finally caved last month and checked one before heading out to my usual spot near Tucson. The map showed Bortle 6 where I was planning to go but there was a Bortle 4 zone only like 15 miles further east. That little detour made all the difference, I could actually see the Andromeda galaxy as more than just a faint smudge. It really changed my mind about the whole thing, those maps are way more practical than I gave them credit for.

karen_nelson4024d ago

You know, when you said "a faint smudge" it really clicked for me. I've been noticing this same pattern in so many other parts of life. People get set in their ways and think they know everything about something, whether it's a hobby or a tool. Then one small change proves them wrong and they wonder why they waited so long. I've seen it with gardeners who refuse to try different soil amendments, or drivers who always take the same route even when there's a better one just one street over. We all get stubborn about our routines and assumptions. It's human nature to think our way is the right way until we actually try something new and see the difference with our own eyes. That Bortle 4 spot you found sounds like it was a real eye opener, just proves that being open to new information can make a huge difference in how we experience things we already love.