Where can I view...?
WAA often receives inquiries asking for good viewing sites in and around Westchester County. While we wish we had a list of prime locations we could recommend, the fact is that finding a good spot in which to do astronomy can be as difficult for us as it is for you! Our members will often travel to locations many hours away from Westchester to get to better conditions, and depending on your observing goals (for example, if you wish to see the Milky Way in all its glory) this may be necessary.
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While we cannot make specific recommendations for places to observe other than at a WAA Star Party, we can offer some general advice:
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Public parks are generally off limits at night. All county parks within Westchester (including Ward Pound Ridge Reservation) are closed after dusk except to registered campers with camp sites. Non-campers found in a park after dusk will be asked to leave by park rangers or police.
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For viewing meteors, try to find a spot with as few lights as possible. Fix your vision on the darkest part of the sky you can see and keep it there. When it comes to viewing meteors, patience is key. Taking your eyes off the sky, even for a moment, can mean missing out! Meteors are very fast - much faster than often depicted in movies or television. By the time you have a chance to turn your head after someone says "Whoa, look at that!" you will have missed it. Even if the best location you have access to is a small yard where you are only able to see directly overhead - if you go outside, turn off as many lights as you can, and lie on a blanket or lounge chair looking straight up, you will have a decent chance of spotting meteors. The later you are willing to stay outside, the better your chances will be of spotting meteors.​
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For viewing aurora, any location with a reasonably unobstructed view to the north will suffice; however, even with fairly strong aurora, you may have difficulty observing with the naked eye from Westchester due to light pollution. Many of our members have had success using their cameras (cell phone or otherwise) to capture aurora, even when there was no obvious sign of aurora with the naked eye. See the November 2024 issue of our SkyWAAtch newsletter for photographs taken by our members of the aurora from October 10th, 2024.
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For the best views of the Milky Way, you will need properly dark skies. While it is still possible - when conditions are ideal - to make the Milky Way galaxy out as a faint band over Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, it is not as plainly obvious as it once was due to increasing light pollution. Camping far from city lights may be your best option, though finding a campsite with limited tree cover can be a challenge. Cherry Springs State Park in Coudersport, PA is situated among some of the darkest skies in the northeast and offers a dedicated overnight astronomy field with many amenities (such as on-field power outlets) that make it an ideal location for observing and astrophotography. It comes recommended by many WAA members, though the nearly 300-mile drive puts it out of impulse range for most.
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The difficulty of finding a good spot to observe is why WAA is especially grateful to the administration of Ward Pound Ridge Reservation and the Westchester County Parks Department for granting WAA a special use permit which gives us such a great location in which to hold our Starway to Heaven star parties. While WPRR is not immune from the growing problem of light pollution in Westchester County, the Meadow parking lot where we observe offers one of the most unobstructed views of the sky one could hope for and makes for a terrific place to observe and do photography of a wide range of celestial objects and phenomena.
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Finally, please consider joining WAA! As a WAA member, you will receive exclusive access to be able to observe at Ward Pound Reservation on non-star party nights. For more information, please visit our Member Viewing Privileges page.
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Image by WAA Member Larry Faltz
Image by WAA Member Larry Faltz