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Dark sky travel stories and planning essays (Page 4)

Long-form pieces I write on aurora science, astrophotography how-tos, destination deep-dives, and practical planning essays for dark-sky trips.

AI-generated historical illustration of Flagstaff beneath the Milky Way, with an amber streetlamp and an observatory dome on a hill, evoking the first international dark sky city

How Flagstaff Began Protecting Its Night Sky in 1958

Maya Okonkwo Updated 3 min read

A searchlight dispute pushed Flagstaff to regulate outdoor lighting in 1958. Decades of further decisions made it the first International Dark Sky City.

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AI-generated illustration of contrasting urban and desert night skies, with orange skyglow on one side and a visible Milky Way on the other, illustrating why we can't see the Milky Way anymore

Why We Can't See the Milky Way Anymore

Maya Okonkwo Updated 3 min read

The Milky Way hasn't gone anywhere. A 2016 atlas mapped its disappearance from view; later observations reveal how artificial light changes the sky we see.

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Close-up of a handheld Sky Quality Meter glowing red as it reads the night sky at zenith, demonstrating how to measure light pollution against a backdrop of stars and a faint Milky Way band

How to Measure Light Pollution: SQM, Satellites, Stars

Maya Okonkwo 9 min read

A Sky Quality Meter, a satellite atlas, and your own eyes rarely agree on how dark a sky is: here's what each actually measures, and why they disagree.

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Milky Way and star-filled sky over silhouetted mountain peaks in Jasper National Park's Dark Sky Preserve at night, the protected sky central to indigenous astronomy in Jasper

Indigenous Astronomy in Jasper: The Indigenous Skies Project

Maya Okonkwo 4 min read

Indigenous astronomy in Jasper starts near Calgary: the Rothney Observatory's Indigenous Skies program, Treaty 7 territory, and Jasper's own Dark Sky Preserve.

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What the Milky Way looks like in Death Valley: a pale gray naked-eye band beside the colorful long-exposure version of the same sky over Badwater Basin's salt flats

What Does the Milky Way Look Like in Death Valley?

Maya Okonkwo 7 min read

Under Death Valley's Gold Tier sky the Milky Way reads as a pale gray band to dark-adapted eyes; a camera's long exposure reveals the color your eyes miss.

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The Las Vegas to Death Valley to Joshua Tree road trip route across the Mojave at dusk, a lone car on a two-lane desert highway, first stars and a faint Milky Way band rising over layered red rock ridges

Las Vegas to Death Valley to Joshua Tree Road Trip

Maya Okonkwo 11 min read

The Vegas–Death Valley–Joshua Tree loop as one trip: per-leg drive times, the Barstow overnight, and how to split nights so each park gets its best sky.

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8x42 binoculars held up at dusk beside an open safari vehicle on NamibRand's red dunes, the best binoculars for safari and stargazing in Namibia, with the first stars appearing over a darkening horizon

Best Binoculars for Safari & Stargazing in Namibia

Maya Okonkwo 8 min read

One pair must find oryx at dawn and resolve the Magellanic Clouds after dark. Here's the 8x42 vs 10x50 call, settled against NamibRand's real night sky.

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Split dusk composite of Great Basin's Wheeler Peak ridge under a star-filled sky beside Death Valley's Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes under the Milky Way, illustrating Death Valley vs Great Basin stargazing

Death Valley vs Great Basin: Which Nevada Dark Sky Wins

Maya Okonkwo 7 min read

Both hold Gold Tier status. Great Basin trades a 5.5-hour drive for altitude and an observatory; Death Valley trades heat for Bortle 1 skies 2 hours from Vegas.

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A tent pitched at Wapiti Campground under the Milky Way with Rocky Mountain peaks behind, camping for Jasper National Park stargazing

Camping for Jasper National Park Stargazing: A Budget Guide

Maya Okonkwo 6 min read

Camping in Jasper National Park for stargazing costs $19.50 a night versus $935+ at the lodge. Where to camp, when to book, and the October festival window.

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Photorealistic scene of a licensed 4x4 and camel trek on the Erg Chebbi dunes at Merzouga at dusk, showing what to check when asking is Merzouga desert tour safe

Is a Merzouga Desert Tour Safe? Advisories and Incidents

Maya Okonkwo 6 min read

A due-diligence read on Merzouga desert tour safety: operator licensing, quad-bike insurance gaps, and the one fatal 2025 crash, minus the fear-mongering.

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A wide dusk-to-night composite showing the resort lights of Palm Springs fading into a star-dense, darker sky over the Mojave Desert near Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree, illustrating where to stay for Joshua Tree stargazing

Where to Stay for Joshua Tree Stargazing

Maya Okonkwo 5 min read

Palm Springs sits inside the Coachella Valley's light dome, but Twentynine Palms and Wonder Valley sit far darker, closer to Joshua Tree's north entrance.

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Sun-bleached desert highway cutting through Joshua Tree National Park at midday, capturing the Joshua Tree road trip September heat decision between Death Valley and higher desert ground

Joshua Tree Road Trip in September Heat: Keep, Cut, or Move It?

Maya Okonkwo 7 min read

Death Valley's September heat is the real problem on a Big Sur to Joshua Tree road trip. Here's what to cut, what to keep, and where the saved days go instead.

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