The conditions are just right for a holiday weekend light show!
As we head into Memorial Day weekend, PhD student Stephen Schmidt from the Johns Hopkins University Department of Astronomy and Physics tells us that if you're in the right spot, you could see the Milky Way galaxy this weekend.
The reason this weekend is right for it? The lunar phase, where the Earth is in its orbit, and the extra day.
Hear how you can take a look at the Milky Way galaxy
"When the moon is very bright, that can make seeing lots of stars, like the Milky Way, very difficult," says Schmidt. "But around Memorial Day weekend this year, there's going to be a new moon, which means that the Moon is not going to be up at night."
And it's the right time of the year to be looking for the Milky Way.
"It just so happens that this time of year is a great time to see the Milky Way, like at around midnight-ish, when it gets to be quite dark," he says.
The reason the extra day can be important is that you might want to drive a little ways, and potentially spend the night to see it.
"There are some.. dark sky sites that are great places to go see the stars, the Milky Way, planets, anything, at any time of year. But they can take several hours to get there," Schmidt tells WMAR-2 News. "So like, Assateague Island is a nice choice. It's pretty far away from light pollution."
For those not willing to make a several-hours long trek, you can check out a light pollution map.
"Generally, what you're going to want to look into is some kind of light pollution map to see where a darker part of the area is, to potentially be able to see the Milky Way," he adds.
Here are a couple of light pollution maps so you can plan:
