12 of the world's most beautiful spots to stargaze

全世界遥望星空最美的12个地点

The night sky is an amazing thing. It's like a map, showing us our place in this vast, ever-expanding universe. And it's like a time machine, allowing us to see billions of years back in time — the amount of time it takes light from some of the most distant cosmic objects to reach us.

夜空极富魅力。它就像一个地图，在浩瀚并不断扩大的宇宙中告诉我们自己的方位。它还像一个时光机，带我们穿梭千年，看到几十亿年前来自遥远天体的光。

But when it comes to observing the night sky, not all places are equal. If you were to step out on the street in, say, New York City, you might be able to see a tiny speckling of stars across a hazy sky, at best.

但是谈到观测夜空，并不是所有地点都合适。如果你走在街上，例如纽约，通过朦胧的天空你可能只能看到很微弱的星光

There are a lot of factors that work together to create optimal stargazing conditions. The higher the altitude of a site, the drier the air, and the further it is from the light pollution of cities, the more stars you can see in the night sky.

很多因素合力才能创造出最佳的星空观测点。观测点的海拔越高，空气越干燥，离城市光污染越远，你将能在夜空中看到越多的星星。

If you're ever in the mood for a night of stargazing (and have access to a jet plane), here are a few spots you should check out.

如果你曾有眺望星空的闲情逸致，这里有些地点是你该看看的。

The NamibRand Nature Reserve in Namibia was the first reserve to achieve Gold Tier dark-sky status from the International Dark-Sky Association, which means its sky quality is ideal for stargazing.

纳米比亚的自然保护区是由国际暗天协会评定的，第一个实现黄金级暗天状态的自然保护区。这意味着那里的天空质量很适合眺望。

Kruger National Park in South Africa, the largest game reserve in South Africa, is far from pollution and artificial lights of towns and cities.

克鲁格国家公园是南非最大的野生动物保护区，它远离污染和来自城镇的人造光。

The summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii is nearly 14,000 feet. It's so high that as you climb the mountain you rise above the clouds. If you can power through the cold and the altitude sickness, you'll be rewarded with a clear view of the Milky Way.

位于夏威夷的莫纳克亚山有将近14000英尺高，以至于当你爬到山顶时将位于云层之上。如果你能克服寒冷和高原反应，你的视野将清晰地可以观察银河。

Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, has some of the clearest, darkest skies in the world because of its high altitude, its closeness to the equator, and its safe distance from tropical storms.

卡纳里岛上的特纳里夫岛，高海拔使它拥有世界上最干净、最漆黑的夜空之一。它靠近赤道，却与热带风暴保持着安全距离。

The Atacama Desert in Chile is one of the driest places on Earth, receiving less than a millimeter of rain each year. The desert has some of the most ideal conditions for stargazing. It has a high altitude, clear skies, and virtually no light pollution.

智利的阿塔卡玛沙漠是地球上最干燥的地方之一，每年的降水量少于1毫米。这片沙漠拥有最适合遥望星空的环境。它拥有着较高的海拔、干净的天空和几乎不存在的光污染。

The Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, the world's largest dark-sky reserve, sits on top of a plateau in New Zealand. From this reserve, you can see a duo of dwarf galaxies called the Magellanic clouds.

奥拉基麦肯齐国际暗天自然保护区，是世界上最大的暗天状态自然保护区，位于新西兰的高地之上。从这片区域，你可以看到叫做麦哲伦星云的矮星系。

La Fortuna in Costa Rica is home to the Arenal Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in the world. It is also one of the few places north of the equator that you can see the Magellanic clouds.

在哥斯达黎加，拉瓜伊拉是阿雷纳尔火山的故乡，这是世界上最为活跃的火山之一。它也是赤道以北为数不多的可以看到麦哲伦星云的地区。

The Chaco Culture National Historic Park in New Mexico offers extremely dark, clear skies and a high elevation.

美国新墨西哥州的查科国家文化历史公园有着非常漆黑和干净的暗天与高地。

The Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah was the first international dark-sky park in the world. You can see up to 15,000 stars in just one night.

美国犹他州的天然桥国家保护区是世界上的第一个国际暗天公园，在这里仅一晚，你就可以看到将近15000颗星星。

Snowdonia in Wales is prime dark sky real estate and it is in the process of getting Dark Skies Status, which would protect the area from light pollution.

威尔士的斯诺登尼亚拥有极好的暗天瑰宝，并且它正在向着夜空美景发展，将远离光污染。

Other than Hawaii and Alaska, Big Bend National Park in Texas is said to have the least light pollution of any other national park. You can see about 2,000 stars with your naked eye.

除了夏威夷和阿拉斯加，美国德克萨斯州的大本德国家公园被称为国家公园中受到最少光污染最少的一座，在这里你裸眼就可以看到约2000颗星星。

With your naked eye, you can see more than 7,000 stars and planets at the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory in Galloway Forest Park in Scotland.

在苏格兰的加洛韦森林公园的夜空天文台，你裸眼就可以看到超过7000颗星星。