The Journal

Field notes from the dark.

Essays, sky guides, and dispatches from our astronomers and expedition leads. Written from the field, free for everyone — no paywall between anyone and the night sky.

A lone observer reclines with a notebook beneath the Milky Way and a faint red headlamp.

Dark Skies · June 18, 2026 · 9 min read

What we lost when we lit the sky

Eighty percent of humans have never seen the Milky Way. This is a recent development — and a reversible one.

Dr. Mireille Okafor Chief Sky Officer
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May 2, 2026 How to see the zodiacal light A pyramid of ghost-light rising from the horizon, made of dust older than the Earth. Here's how to find it. Field Guide 6 min March 14, 2026 Packing for minus twenty Standing still under an Arctic sky is a different discipline than moving through one. Our Lofoten guides' complete layering doctrine. Field Guide 7 min

The Almanac

What’s in the sky this month

  • Jul 18 Moon at last quarter — evening skies begin to darken
  • Jul 24 New moon — the month’s deepest dark, plan around it
  • Jul 29–30 Southern δ-Aquariid meteors peak, ~25/hr from dark sites
  • All month Milky Way core due south at true midnight — the year’s best view
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