I live in the country, I never see stars as in the pics. Milky way only if you look hard for it. I envy the pics I see of the stars.
Most light pollution is in the northern hemisphere. The views from remote parts of australia and really most anywhere in the southern hemisphere are said to be amazing. I kinda wanna go camping somewhere down there just to drink and stargaze
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I've been to the mountaintops in Colorado on a ranch far from electricity, lights, and people. I've never seen the stars more vividly.
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You forgot something
Now that you mention it, the several times I have been to a large observatory in a dark skies area have not yielded as remarkable a view of the Milky Way as the prominent photographs depict. They must be extending the exposure or something.
A lot of the pictures are long exposure or exposure stacked to bring out the faint details. In my neck of the woods it's fairly easy to catch the Milky Way after your eyes adjust for about 4 or 5 minutes. I take my kids out several times a year and point out many of the constellations, the planets, the Milky Way, a few nebula, and the Andromeda galaxy.
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