The peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower is coming up, and in our humble opinion, lying on the hood of the car while staring up at the sky is a fantastic way to spend some leisure time. Especially if you bring snacks.
Want to find the best location for some serious shooting star viewing? Check out this dark site finder. Just search for your location, then see a map of the light pollution around you. You can zoom in and out to see light pollution levels, and use the slider on the right to change the transparency of the light overlay. Just find one of the darkest spots on the map, then lower the transparency of that layer so you can see what towns, roads, or land features are there.
Here’s a great example — that entire western Texas/western Oklahoma area is brown and dark brown. Huge bonus is Black Mesa State Park in Oklahoma, the black pin on the map. It’s a fantastic viewing site, and since it’s a state park you can likely camp there.