Top 5 Things in the Night Sky Worth Driving Away From the City For

Light pollution steals the best show on Earth, and these are worth a tank of gas, a folding chair, and a thermos.

1. 1

   The Milky Way Core in Summer

   Once you've seen it from a truly dark site, you'll understand why ancient people built whole religions around it and you'll resent every streetlight.

2. 2

   The Perseid Meteor Shower

   Warm August nights and dozens of meteors an hour make this the easiest sell for friends who claim they 'don't really do astronomy.'

3. 3

   The Aurora Borealis

   Phone cameras pick up more color than your eyes, but standing under one as it ripples overhead is still the most unreal thing the sky does.

4. 4

   The Geminid Meteor Shower

   Honestly better than the Perseids, with brighter, slower meteors, and the only reason it ranks lower is that December cold is a real test of love.

5. 5

   The Andromeda Galaxy With the Naked Eye

   It's a faint smudge, sure, but that smudge is light that left another galaxy 2.5 million years ago, and nothing else humbles you faster.