The Milky Way is the galaxy that includes our Solar System, with the name describing the galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye.
Seeing the Milky Way in all its glory should be on everyone’s bucket list. In the ancient world—a world free from bright lights—it’s something you couldn’t help but marvel at.
Today, the light pollution in nearly any city makes the Milky Way all but invisible. When you do get to see it, on a moonless night and in its full splendor, it’s very hard not to be in complete awe. The sight is all at once humbling, inspiring, and for many, deeply spiritual. Totally bucket list-worthy!
Viewing our galaxy from Earth is one of the most mesmerizing experiences, but where can you see the Milky Way?
It doesn’t matter if your goal is to photograph the Milky Way or you simply want to enjoy a nice view of our galaxy. To maximize your chances, you have to find the best places to see the Milky Way.
To do so, you should consider two things: the best time to see the Milky Way and the best places where you can see the Milky Way in areas away from light pollution and preferably at high elevations.
These are some suitable places to see the Milky Way.
1. THE DOLOMITES, ITALY
This old continent is one of the most light-polluted places on earth, so there aren’t many great places for stargazing or astrophotography. However, there are still places, like the Dolomites, where you can enjoy dark skies and see the Milky Way and the galactic center.
With just a few small villages and some peaks as high as 10,000 ft, the entire Dolomite mountain range is considered the best place to see the Milky Way on the European continent.
The best places to shoot the Milky Way in the Dolomites are around the “Tre Cime di Lavaredo”, “Cinque Torri”, and “Monte Pelmo”.
2. THE SAHARA DESERT, TUNISIA
The desert is one of the best places on Earth where you can see the Milky Way. Most of Earth’s deserts are isolated and sparsely-populated, so you can enjoy the silence and some of the best dark-skies.
There are many great deserts to see the Milky Way, but not many are as spectacular as the Sahara Desert. This massive desert is underpopulated and away from big epicenters of light pollution, and it’s widely known as one of the best places on Earth to see the Milky Way.
You can see the Milky Way in many different areas, but one of the best and most accessible is the Tunisian Sahara Desert.
3. MOUNT BROMO, INDONESIA
Humidity and light pollution are star-killers in many areas of Asia, but the continent also has great places to see the Milky Way at night.
Indonesia has some of the most remote (and yet accessible) places to see our galaxy, and it’s considered the best place to see the Milky Way in Asia.
An incredible place where you can photograph the Milky Way in Asia is Mount Bromo on Java island. This location features an area of active volcanoes at 7,500+ ft where you can see an otherworldly view of the Milky Way over volcanoes sending explosions of ash and smoke in the background.
