One of my favorite aspects of travel in mountainous regions such as the Colorado Rocky Mountains is the opportunity to see the glories of the night sky without light and air pollution. Naturally, I love the astonishing timelapse below created by filmmakers Gavin Heffernan and Harun Mehmedinović of Sun Chaser Pictures . The gorgeous timelapse was made of the brilliant night skies over Wet Mountain Valley in the south-central part of Colorado. The altitude of this area is just under 1½ miles. The location is part of the Dark Sky Project.

Imagine if you could see the Milky Way from your front porch? If you live in the Wet Mountain Valley of Colorado, you can. The valley is home to Westcliffe and Silver Cliff International Dark-Sky Association Dark Sky Communities, where night sky quality is shielded from excessive light pollution through various measures taken by the citizens and the local authorities. While Wet Mountain Valley is known for the spectacular snowy mountains many visit during the day, the views are even more stunning at night.