Where are you able to see the Milky Way in Florida? These 3 ‘darkish sky’ places could also be one of the best view

August has been a month jam-packed with cosmic phenomena seen from Earth – from nebulas to meteor showers to planetary conjunctions.

But the month is not over but. Now? Add into the combo one of many final finest alternatives to see the Milky Way. The center of our galaxy is positively teeming with billions of stars that routinely change into vivid and vibrant at sure occasions of the yr – for those who’re in the right place at the right time.

As summer time nears its finish, so, too, does the so-called “Milky Way season” within the United States. Fortunately, stargazers in Florida still have a chance to glimpse the Milky Way’s iconic band of hazy mild because it arcs throughout the evening sky.

The better part? You do not want any fancy telescopes or gear to view it; simply your eyes and possibly a digital camera, for those who’re into astral photography.

Here’s all the pieces to find out about our Milky Way, together with three of the potential finest “dark sky” places in Florida to see the stunning natural phenomenon.

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What is the Milky Way galaxy?

The Milky Way is our dwelling galaxy with a disc of stars that spans greater than 100,000 light-years. Because it seems as a rotating disc curving out from a dense central area, the Milky Way is known as a spiral galaxy.

Our planet sits along one of the galaxy’s spiral arms, about midway from the middle, in line with NASA.

The Milky Way sits in a cosmic neighborhood referred to as the Local Group that features greater than 50 different galaxies. Those galaxies might be as “small” as a dwarf galaxy with as much as just a few billion stars or as giant as Andromeda, our nearest giant galactic neighbor.

Why is it referred to as the Milky Way?

The Milky Way obtained its title as a result of from our perspective on Earth, it seems as a faint, milky band of sunshine stretching throughout the sky.

Milky Way could possibly be seen from Earth. Will Florida have a view?

Though the Milky Way is usually at all times seen from Earth, sure occasions of yr are higher for stargazers to catch a glimpse of the band of billions of stars.

“Milky Way season,” when the galaxy’s vivid middle turns into simpler to see from Earth, usually runs from February to October, in line with the Milky Way images web site Capture the Atlas.

But as a result of visibility from Earth will depend on the latitude, the additional south you go, the longer the Milky Way season will final. For occasion, within the Northern Hemisphere, which incorporates the continental United States, one of the best time to see the Milky Way is typically from March to September, in line with Capture the Atlas.

What you are when the Milky Way is seen is the intense middle of our galaxy, “seen edge-on from our position within the galaxy’s disk,” Preston Dyches, who hosts NASA’s “What’s Up,” a month-to-month video sequence that describes what’s taking place within the evening sky, wrote in June for NASA.

When can Floridians see the Milky Way in August 2025?

The middle of the Milky Way, which Dyches refers to as “the core,” grew to become seen in June and is anticipated to shine each evening by means of August because it will get larger in a darker sky.

Typically, the sky is darkest from about midnight to five a.m., in line with Capture the Atlas. You can test dawn and sundown occasions at your location utilizing the web site TimeAndDate.

“This doesn’t mean that as soon as the sun goes down you can see the Milky Way,” writes Dan Zafra, co-founder of Capture the Atlas. “Even if it’s in the sky, the Milky Way will be barely visible during blue hour, so you’ll have to wait at least until the end of the astronomical twilight to see all the details of the Milky Way.”

From June to August, the Milky Way will likely be diagonal in the beginning of the evening, vertical through the midnight, and low above the horizon on the finish of the evening, in line with Capture the Atlas.

Where, how are you going to see the Milky Way from Florida? Here are some ideas

Spectators could have one of the best luck on cloud-free nights and in places away from metropolis mild air pollution.

Of the 159 locations in the United States which are designated darkish sky communities, three places are in Florida. That contains:

Stargazers can observe the Milky Way galaxy by on the lookout for the Summer Triangle, a form shaped by “three bright stars” that spans throughout the Milky Way, in line with science information web site LiveScience.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the Milky Way rises within the southeast, travels throughout the southern sky and units within the southwest, according to Weather.com.

Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected]

This article initially appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Milky Way season: Galaxy may appear brightest from 3 Florida locations