I have always had a fascination with the night sky since I was a child, and I always enjoyed re-reading the mythical stories of the fabled heroes who have constellations and cosmic bodies named after them – Perseus the demigod and Andromeda his wife (a constellation and a galaxy respectively), Cassiopeia (Andromeda’s mother and a constellation), Orion the hunter (a constellation), Hercules and the Hydra (both constellations) but to name a few.

Having always lived in urban areas under light polluted skies has meant that my regular view of the night sky was mostly a greyish blue backdrop punctuated by only a few visible bright stars. Even with the light pollution, one constellation which I was always able to find is Ursa Major – at least the Big Dipper part – and from there find my way to Polaris, the north star, which is part of the Ursa Minor constellation. Over 80 per cent of the world’s population living under light polluted skies, a figure that rises to 99 per centre of the population of Europe and the United States.

I was utterly in awe and overwhelmed when I found myself in a dark sky area for the first time. Despite knowing what I was looking for, I was no longer able to find familiar constellations due to suddenly being faced with many more stars visible to the naked eye. Compare the photograph below of the night sky above Tromsø where few shining specks can be seen in the night sky with the photograph at the beginning of this piece of the Milky Way, taken from an area with very low light pollution.

I always find looking up at the night sky and the shining sparkling specks a very humbling experience, reminding me of the grand scale of the rest of existence. Take for example the very bright star in the photograph at the beginning of this piece which you can see just slightly right of the centre of the photograph. That star is named Deneb, in the constellation of Cygnus, and as we see it, we are looking at how it looked nearly some 1,411 years ago. If Deneb were to become a supernova right now, humanity, if not extinct by then, would only see this 1,411 years later. Polaris, the north star, as we see it now is how it was some 432 years ago. I can never stop but ponder on the vastness of the cosmos, and the sheer cosmic and unfathomable scale of the universe, not to mention our infinitesimal place in the whole of existence.

Whenever I gaze up at the night sky, I am reminded of the intricate tapestry of stories, science, and wonder that unfolds above us every night. From the mythical heroes immortalised in constellations to the distant stars whose light has travelled millennia to reach us, the cosmos holds an endless array of marvels waiting to be explored. While the pervasive glow of urban life may dim our view, there is still magic to be found in the stars above. Yet, it is in the tranquil darkness of a truly dark sky area where the full majesty of the universe reveals itself. Go seek out such sanctuaries, to gaze upon the heavens with unobstructed awe, and to embark on your own journey of discovery beneath the celestial canopy. For in the vast expanse of the cosmos, we find not only our place in the universe but also the boundless potential of human curiosity and imagination.