Ohio's best stargazing spots
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Ohio stargazers must travel up to 214 miles — farther than residents of most other states — to the nearest spot with a sky devoid of light pollution, Axios' Kavya Beheraj reports.
Why it matters: Dark skies are vital for local ecosystems and our understanding of the universe. If light pollution keeps growing, truly dark skies could become harder to find.
Zoom in: A satellite view of the Buckeye State shows our large cities, including Columbus, blanketing the state in a massive glow.
- Ohio doesn't contain any stargazing sites with a known classification of 1 or 2 on the Bortle scale, indicating low levels of light pollution, per the International Dark-Sky Association.
- The closest spot for Columbus residents is Holly River State Park in West Virginia, a classification 2 that's 169 miles away.
Yes, but: Some Ohio sites still have low-enough light pollution to warrant a road trip, such as Jackson Lake State Park, 88 miles southeast of Columbus. (It's a class 3 on the Bortle scale.)
Other recommendations include:
- Wayne National Forest (67 miles)
- Lake Hope State Park (69 miles)
- Burr Oak State Park (80 miles)
- Stonelick State Park (88 miles)
🪐 1 cool thing: Ohio's space exploration legacy is still going strong.
- Astronomer David Martin, an OSU fellow, is part of a team that recently discovered a new planetary system that orbits twin suns — reminiscent of Luke Skywalker's home world of Tatooine, Space.com reports.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to say Jackson Lake State Park is 88 miles (not 19 miles) southeast of Columbus. This story's map and text have also been updated with the correct locations of dark skies and their proximity to various states.