New Bedford Stargazing Cruises Are a Must

One of the perks of living in New Bedford or any part of SouthCoast, really, is some of the best stargazing in the world.

Countless nights I spent growing up just sitting in the grass on sneaking out onto the roof of my house to get a glimpse of the night sky. If only I'd known that we actually have stargazing cruises available right in our backyard.

Apparently, we are entering the perfect season for stargazing. Over the last few years, the SouthCoast has been able to witness some of the universe's great wonders on certains evenings, usually past most of our bedtimes. Little did I know, we could hop on a boat cruise after the sun sets on any clear evening to see what's above us every night.

Now, I love cruises so I was originally poking around to see if New Bedford had any day cruises. Then, I stumbled onto what I thought would have been a pretty neat date night or fun night out with a group of friends -- an evening cruise that takes you away from the light pollution on the coast and out into open water, where the sky is dark enough to appreciate the stars.

Astronomy Events with Mark Coppinger of Meteor Cruises has been taking the boat out and stargazing in the area for nine years now. There has always been something about looking up at the stars that clears my head but also makes my mind swirl with so many questions about what's up there.

I'd gladly hop on one of these stargazing cruises out of New Bedford. They sound informative, fun and flexible. No, Mother Nature doesn't always give us clear skies, which is probably the most important factor in this magical night.