When's the last time you stopped to gaze at the stars? In New York City, that can be a bit tricky: the city that never sleeps never turns off its lights, either, resulting in heavy light pollution that can make it hard to see anything other than the moon and a select few celestial bodies with the naked eye. But as Rori Baldari, vice president of the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York, puts it, "There are many objects in the night sky that you can see in New York City. It's all just above your head. You just have to look up."
Baldari and the AAA offer New Yorkers regular opportunities to look up and get to know the heavens above them, holding regular free stargazing sessions at various spots around the five boroughs, from Lincoln Plaza to Floyd Bennett Field to Evergreens Cemetery. Pop by, and you'll be given the chance to gaze through a telescope at the cosmos, something that Baldari says few if any people turn down. "People have a natural, innate curiosity about space and the universe," she says. "And when they look through a telescope, they're amazed and thrilled and inspired."
New York's ceaseless brightness can make stargazing a challenge, but it's far from impossible, Boldari says. All you need is to find a place with a clear view of the sky (i.e., away from tall buildings and dense areas; parks and beaches are ideal locations, she says) and away from streetlights as much as possible. She also recommends waiting until about an hour after sunset to start your star search. While a telescope is recommended, a pair of binoculars can do the trick, provided the sky is dark enough. And stargazing doesn't have to be limited to warmer months. "Winter has a lot of good stuff to see," Boldari says, noting the Orion constellation, the Orion nebula and the Pleiades star cluster as being best observed during this time of year. (Between the longer nights and the drier, more transparent air, winter offers a lot of benefits to would-be stargazers, so long as they don't mind the cold.)
But where are the best places to go in and outside of the city if you want to see the stars? Here's our guide to the best stargazing spots you can reach via subway, Metro-North or Long Island Rail Road.
Montauk Point State Park
Montauk Point may be known for its beach vibes, but it also offers a wonderful backdrop for some excellent stargazing. Montauk Beach is also one place where you can get a nice glimpse of the Milky Way’s core, which appears over the Northern Hemisphere every February. But any night is a great one to watch the night sky down at The End, just bundle up in the winter. You can get to Montauk via the Long Island Rail Road; the entire journey takes about three and a half hours, give or take.
Vanderbilt Space Observatory
If you want to check out the sky around some experts, head to the Vanderbilt Space Observatory. The observatory is home to both daytime and nighttime telescopes, which offer a wide variety of options to gaze upward. You’ll want to check their hours of operation before heading out, and to help plan your trip accordingly. The closest train station is Northport on the Long Island Rail Road’s Port Jefferson Branch. The journey takes under an hour and half from NYC.
Pupin Physics Laboratories, Columbia University
The Pupin Physics Lab, completed almost a century ago, offers a program called the Public Lecture and Stargazing Series every other Friday. First, you’ll be treated to a short, simple lecture, followed by stargazing (weather permitting) and tours of the Rutherford Observatory on site. The best part? It’s free admission, and open to the general public. They also host Spanish language events. Check out more information here. Columbia University is accessible via the subway and buses.
Harriman State Park
A bit further north you’ll find Harriman State Park, one of the closest state parks to New York City and a great location for hiking, camping, and sightseeing overall. It’s also not a bad spot for spotting stars. There are no designated stargazing spots within the park, but it has plenty of good locations and very little light pollution. Designated campgrounds offer accommodation as well, if you want to spend some real time there. Harriman State Park is served by a number of stations on Metro-North’s Port Jervis line, including Suffern, Sloatsburg, Tuxedo, Southfields, Arden, and Harriman.
Wassaic Multiple Use Area
This park is a great place to perch for a look at the sky and all its offerings, and it’s also easy to reach. The area is just about a 10-minute walk from Tenmile River station on Metro-North’s Harlem line. If you're headed there from Grand Central, it’s a lengthy but pretty decent journey, only taking around 2.5 hours.
The park also offers other activities, including camping, fishing, and hiking.
The Custer Institute and Observatory
Long Island's oldest public observatory was established in 1927 and is open every Saturday evening from 7:00 pm until midnight, offering residents on the North Fork the chance to see the stars at no cost in one of the best dark sky areas on the island. The staff at the Custer Institute provides tours of the facilities and allows visitors to use their telescopes to check out the sky, though weekly public observing is done outdoors, so be sure to dress warmly if you opt for fall or winter stargazing. The Custer Institute also holds regular astronomy events as well as lectures, classes, and more. To reach the observatory, take the LIRR's Ronkonkoma Branch to Southold, a trip of about 2.5 hours from Grand Central Terminal.
Kensico Dam Plaza
Located at the foot of the historic Kensico Dam, the Kensico Dam Plaza is a broad grassy area with minimal light pollution and clear lines of sight, making it a great stargazing spot. It's also easy and quick to get to from the city: Just catch a train on Metro-North's Harlem line and get off at the Valhalla stop, which is about 75 minutes from Grand Central. From there, it's a short walk to the plaza, which is open seven days a week from 8:00 am until 10:00 pm in the summer. The park also has restrooms, a playground, picnic areas, hiking trails and a reservoir stocked with trout, bass and perch, if you feel like dropping a line while waiting for night to fall.
Walkway Over the Hudson
The world's longest elevated pedestrian bridge offers semi-regular stargazing opportunities from April through October with Walkway at Night, when visitors can cross the span at twilight and take in unobstructed views of both the Hudson River and the sky. Weather permitting, members of the Mid-Hudson Astronomical Association are also present on the bridge with telescopes for viewing. Best of all, Walkway Over the Hudson is just a short walk from the Poughkeepsie Metro-North station, which is a 2.5-hour trip from Grand Central on the Hudson line.
The High Line
Speaking of elevated pedestrian walkways: The High Line also offers spring and summer stargazing every Tuesday from sunset until 30 minutes before the park's closure between April and October at Little West 12th Street. Attendance is free, and telescopes are provided by the AAA of New York, which also has experts on hand to educate you about what you're seeing. You can reach the High Line by taking the A, C, E or L trains to 14 St-8 Av; the park is only a few blocks away.
The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
A 37,000-ton aircraft carrier may not seem like the most logical place to do some stargazing, but that's exactly what the Intrepid Museum offers once a month from April through September with its Free Friday astronomy nights. From 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm, visitors can stand on the deck of the USS Intrepid and look up into the night sky with the guidance of local astronomers, who provide telescopes for free use. These nights also feature science talks and demos from Museum educators and scientists on hand to decode the mysteries of the cosmos. You can get to the Intrepid Museum by taking any of a number of trains to Times Square or the Port Authority Bus Terminal and then heading west on 44th Street until you reach the West Side Highway, then crossing over to Pier 86.
Subway
15-to-20-minute walk from Times Sq-Port Authority Bus Terminal and Times Sq-42 St stations
Do you have a favorite place to stargaze in the region? Tag @MTAaway in your photos on Instagram!
This guide includes contributions from Teddy Son.
