How dark is the sky?

[Oshunvuz]

We're on Odyssey in the Western Med in two weeks. I love seeing the stars at night, but living at the edge of a metro area in the US, we don't see nearly as many stars as I did as a child growing up in the rural Midwest. How dark is the sky at night? Rather the better question is how dark is the ship at night? Is the ship fully lit all night or to they revert to a limited number of running lights at some point each night?

[All too soon...]

Great question. We have taken may Crystal cruises, and our first in Seabourn is in about a year. But as an amateur astronomer, I'm appalled at how EVERY area on a cruise ship is lit up like a strip mall parking lot.

 

I understand safety issues, and there no complain about footlights on certain upper decks at certain times. But the light is blinding everywhere, an I'd be surprised if any line is an exception.

 

We had a marvelous show of Northern Lights last year coming out of Greenland the first night, and they were so bright that the reflected off the sea, and we too photos in silhouette by their light. But we enjoyed them from a stateroom, which was the darkest place on board, compared to the upper deck public areas.

[peacebeach]

We had a marvelous show of Northern Lights last year coming out of Greenland the first night, and they were so bright that the reflected off the sea, and we too photos in silhouette by their light. But we enjoyed them from a stateroom, which was the darkest place on board, compared to the upper deck public areas.

 

That sounds amazing! What month were you sailing when you left?:)

[Tony & Trevor]

We have done organized 'star gazing' usually with the navigation officer on a number of occasions. Normally starts at 11pm on the upper forward deck.

The ships 'running' lights are on plus the usually safety lights.

 

The best views we ever had of the sky at night was in Antartica.

 

 

Kind regards

 

 

Tony

[writer100]

We're on Odyssey in the Western Med in two weeks. I love seeing the stars at night, but living at the edge of a metro area in the US, we don't see nearly as many stars as I did as a child growing up in the rural Midwest. How dark is the sky at night? Rather the better question is how dark is the ship at night? Is the ship fully lit all night or to they revert to a limited number of running lights at some point each night?

It's not a cruise, but to see the Southern sky in all its glory you might think of going to the Atacama desert in northern Chile. There's an Explora hotel there

with a telescope mounted in a structure that looks like a miniature Mount Palomar. The roof opens, the telescope slowly swivels, and you get to see planets and stars. But the walk over, and back, is even more of a show, as there is no water vapor or smog in the air, and there are almost no ground lights. The effect is, to use a word sadly diminished from ill use, awesome.

[All too soon...]

That sounds amazing! What month were you sailing when you left?:)

 

It was September last year. And to correct my post, the best view was from the veranda, although the aurora was visible from inside the room through the glass.

[peacebeach]

It was September last year. And to correct my post, the best view was from the veranda, although the aurora was visible from inside the room through the glass.

 

Perfect! Birthday month:)

[peacebeach]

It was September last year. And to correct my post, the best view was from the veranda, although the aurora was visible from inside the room through the glass.

 

Also, thank you!:)