What does the milky way look like to the naked eye?

[estwing]

Shame Mike73 isn't still about.  I think he's been everywhere that was anywhere around Plymouth.

I'm guessing from the places you list that you're either in Plymouth or Paignton?  I don't think you'd need to go too far to start with if you could just get a bit south of a line between the two.  Any handy car park at a picnic area, monument or anything like that would probably do.

James

In fact I told mike where to find the darkest spot in cornwall!!!...crowdy reservoir I think its called near Delabole

[cotterless45]

We can see the Milky Way overhead in summer, mainly through Cygnus , Perseus and Cassiopeia. From really dark skies it dominates the summer night sky. Behind Cygnus it is just black with the Coalsack , down through a Cygnus, it twists and splits at the rift. Then it splits completely standing on two legs to the horizon. Through Perseus it just glows brightly.

We've seen it reflected in sea lochs when the Moon isn't about. We're talking wild places here, Mull, Islay, The Outer Isles and Skye.

It must have given our ancestors a great deal to wonder about. Once you've been lucky to be under dark skies , you'll never forget the brightness, width and shapes of the Milky Way,

Nick.

[laser_jock99]

There are a few candidates for dark skies within an hours drive of where I live (dartmoor national park, hope cove, start point). Unfortunately I can't drive so I'm limited to nights where my dad can drive me but he seems to have developed a reasonable interest in astronomy himself thankfully.

The Plymouth Astronomical Society settles for Wembury beach, I've been there a few times and there's not much more to see there than in the more heavily polluted area of my back garden.

When I lived in Plymouth I used to get the Cremyl Ferry and cycle out to Rame Head and stargaze or go night fishing from the rocks there. Amazing skies but over 20 years ago!

The only light pollution was from passing boats and the Eddystone light, eight miles offshore. I'm sure you could see the Milky Way from here?

[iksose7]

I'm in southern France under fairly dark skies and it can be clearly seen like others have described, although a tree line to the South blocks most of the galactic center area from being seen from home which is very unfortunate. 

I lived in a old gypsy wagon for a couple of years in a field when i first moved down here. An old fashioned thing with big drapes on the front rather than doors which i liked to keep open during the summer months. I'll always remember there were 2 or 3 occasions when i got up in the middle of the night to go to drain the bladder and the milky way looked truly like a majestic 3D structure coming up over the horizon. The conditions must have been perfect on those nights as i have never seen it like that since.

Edit: Just dug out an old timelapse i did when i first started astrophotography, it shows the milky way looming over my camp site. The old wagon can be seen bottom right:

 

Callum

[jetstream]

There are places 5 min from my home that will show the MW brightly. From a truly dark site, 15 min away, the difference is staggering and a sight to behold, sometimes I just lean back in a lawchair to obs it first- this is awesome! The MW shoes very brightly here under the best of conditions- I mean bright, and as Acey says, the rifts through Cygnus is amazing ( others can be seen too) - and then there's the split! It doesn't look milky to me- its full of great stars! And under my skies it is a true gift of nature.

Everyone should see it at least once under these conditions ( dark and clear out) and I hear there are places in England , Wales and Cornwall that have them.  I hope the members who have seen it on a limited (or no) basis make the effort to go see it!

[spaceboy]

While I have seen the milky way at a dark site in the UK I can't help but feel it has more to give?? The problem is the UK sees the milkyway at it's best (directly over head) during the summer months in to autum so there is always the thought in my mind that the skies aren't as dark as they would be during the winter months and so the MW isn't as contrasted as it could be if the background sky was as dark as it gets.

As for seeing the core, galactic bulge, it never really gets high enough off the horizon in the UK to give that wow factor. Again this is also hampered by the time of the year Sagittarius is at it's highest.

All said an done though it really is a sight to behold and one well worthy of travelling to darker skies for. Personally my best advice if you have a long way to travel to dark skies is maybe wait until Perseids meteor shower on the new moon 14th Aug which has the MW sitting high in the sky the moon is out of the way and you have the added benefit of experiencing a meteor shower under dark skies which can be a treat in itself.

[Matt Scunthorpe]

The best I have seen it is at Badger Farm in East Lincs, it was stunning, a real clear band of stars. On occasion from home I have mistaken it for high cloud before as its not very clear at my house.

Matt.