While late-night phone scrolling may be a universal habit at this point, heading outside to look up at the stars may be a much more rewarding activity. And while stargazing anywhere can be a perfect antidote to copious amounts of screen time wherever you are, a new study shows one state in particular has optimal views.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to Live Casinos<\/a>\u2019 June list of the \u201cdefinitive\u201d top 10 states to stargaze, South Dakota came out on top. As for the study\u2019s methodology, it analyzed the Bortle scale\u2014a nine-level numeric scale measuring the night sky\u2019s brightness at a particular location\u2014as well as the average cloud cover of each state to produce an overall \u201cstar visibility score\u201d out of 10.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSouth Dakota has the best odds for stargazing, with an almost perfect star visibility score of 7.79 out of 10. Over half (52.66 percent) of the state has a Bortle scale classification between 1 and 3, a measurement of how dark the night sky is,\u201d the team at Live Casinos shared. \u201cNotably, 9.42 percent of South Dakota falls into Bortle scale 1, the most optimal setting for stargazing, which is the highest of any other state.\u201d<\/p>\n It added that the state also has a rather low cloud coverage at just 11.65 percent per year, which is 0.75 percent less than neighboring state of North Dakota, making it a place where it\u2019s \u201cextremely likely that there will be a clear view of the stars and constellations.\u201d As for the best spot to go in the state, it called out Sanborn County as the place that \u201coffers the most favorable conditions for stargazing,\u201d with a star visibility score of 8.78 out of 10.\u00a0<\/p>\n Next on the list is Wyoming, which earned a star visibility score of 7.65 out of 10. \u201cAided by being one of the 19 states with laws limiting light pollution, almost half of the state (46.3 percent) falls into Bortle scale 1-3,\u201d the study shared. It pointed to Hot Springs County as the prime spot for viewing in the state thanks to its star visibility score of 8.71 to 10.<\/p>\n Rounding out the top three is Alaska, which came with a star visibility score of 7.64 out of 10. \u201cOut of the 31.74 percent of the state categorized as Bortle scale 1-3, 6.23 percent of the area has an \u2018excellent dark sky.\u2019\u201d Additionally, there is just 11.30 percent of cloud coverage per year in Alaska, \u201csolidifying its position in third place.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Other fantastic stargazing destinations include Montana at No. 4, followed by Arizona, Nevada, North Dakota, New Mexico, Nebraska, and Oregon at No. 10. For those looking to take their stargazing skills global, here are the 12 best places to look up at night around the world<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n