Photo: Death Valley National Park's night sky. (All photos are courtesy of their respective parks unless otherwise noted)

A fitting quote from the movie "Men in Black" at the end of the movie when Agent Kay explains why he is leaving MIB:

KAY

(looking up at the sky)

They're beautiful, aren't they? The stars. I never just look anymore and they're beautiful.

In today's electronic, bright lights, big city, short attention span society, this quote is becoming more and more the case for the majority of the American public. Who takes the time anymore to look up at the stars and just be awestruck? How many places can we go where there isn't so much light pollution that you can't even see the three stars of Orion's belt? Here are five of the dozen or so areas around the country that are still preserved enough where the stargazing is absolutely out of this world.

Death Valley National Park - Nevada / California

Death Valley isn't just the hottest place in the U.S., it's also one of the hottest for stargazing. The park does a great job at limiting external lighting and was the third park in the country to be given "International Dark Sky Park" designation from the International Dark Sky Association. In the winter and the spring, when it is naturally cooler in the park, the rangers offer night sky programs and hold stargazing events with astronomy organizations. There is camping available in the park as well year round if you want to glance to the heavens yourself.

Chaco Culture National Historic Park - New Mexico

The natural environment on Chaco is full of nocturnal wildlife that rely on the night sky for survival and much of the plant life in the park relies on the day/night cycle to maintain its natural rhythm. Also an International Dark Sky Park, Chaco and works with the The Albuquerque Astronomical Society in public outreach for interpretive dark sky initiatives. The onsite Chaco Observatory is open to park visitors during the summer on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings.

Big Bend National Park - Texas

Claiming to have the least amount of light pollution in any park in the lower 48 states, Big Bend National Park certainly has some of the best stargazing g in the country. There are ranger-led tours for about $35 per person and there are also three developed campsites in the park as well. As of late, the park has undertaken new initiatives to install LED lighting and light shields to help maintain the beauty of the night.

Cherry Springs State Park - Pennsylvania

Photo By Kevin Wigell [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

The darkest park east of the Mississippi, Cherry Springs Park is an astronomer's dream come true. They have a public night sky viewing area with benches and encourage patrons to bring their own chairs, blankets and equipment if they so desire. They offer programs year round and even offer winter stargazing programs, provided it doesn't get too cold.

All lighting in the park has been converted from white to red to preserve night vision. The park's Astronomy Observation Field has everything that an astronomer would need including Wi-Fi, electricity, concrete telescope pads, white light prohibition, and discounted yearly passes are available as well.

The Headlands - Michigan

In 2011, the Headlands was awarded the sixth in the country and ninth in the world designation of International Dark Sky Park. The county provides monthly programs, brochures and information for stargazing as well as programs all year long for everything from meteor showers to astronomy and the world's religions. They do not offer camping in the park, but there are no less than five different private camp grounds available for rental less than 10 minutes away. Hotels are located in Mackinaw City less than two miles away for those who don't want to rough it.

There are many other places across the country that offer stargazing programs. Make sure you do your research before you go. If you want to know what you are going to see when you are out there, check out Earth Sky and don't forget there are plenty of apps out there for your smart devices. If you want to do it old school you can download a chart at SkyMaps.com. For more information on other parks that have the International Dark Sky Designation go to http://darksky.org/.

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