India, Sept. 17 -- Ever thought of planning a trip just to watch the stars? A few years ago, my son and I set up our telescope under a dark sky, and it felt like the universe had rolled out a welcome mat just for us. In the city, stars hide behind lights and smog, but in a remote spot, the Milky Way stretches like spilt silver across the sky, and meteors streak past like cosmic fireworks. Stargazing has become a way to travel, camp, and explore the cosmos all at once. Pachmarhi in August shows the Milky Way like nothing else, and the Rann of Kutch in winter turns into a meteor shower stage where the sky feels endless.

Light pollution blurs the stars in most cities and makes the sky feel flat. Step into a dark-sky location and suddenly ev...