Summer solstice just hit. You get the most daylight of the year this weekend. And the night, short as it is, is one of the best times all year to look up.
Southeast Ohio is quietly one of the best stargazing regions in the state. And you don't need a telescope. You just need a dark sky.
Where the dark sky actually is
Ohio Magazine keeps a running list of the best stargazing spots in the state. John Glenn Astronomy Park inside Hocking Hills makes every list. Wayne National Forest is recognized too. Skyline sits in the same dark pocket of the state.
The International Dark-Sky Association ran Dark Sky Week back in April. The trend is growing all year. More people are driving out specifically for a sky that doesn't have a Walmart parking lot in it.
What you'll actually see
On a clear moonless night, you'll see the Milky Way with your eyes alone. No filter. No app. Just a pale river of stars running across the whole sky.
Meteor showers come through all summer. The Perseids peak in mid-August. You don't need to know the names. You just need to lie on your back for twenty minutes and let your eyes adjust.
How to do it right
Red flashlight only, so your eyes stay dark-adapted. Bring a blanket and something warm. The hills cool off fast after midnight even in June. Leave the fire low or let it die. Let your pupils open all the way up.
Book a summer weekend. Stay up past your bedtime. Let the sky do what it does.
See you at skyline.