Your best bet for stargazing? California, oddsmakers declare

A sports betting site deems the Golden State the top place to view cosmic events.

- BY KAREN GARCIA

A TIME-LAPSE exposure at Joshua Tree National Park shows star trails in 2020.

When it comes to exploring the wonders of the night sky, sports betting touts are hardly considered astronomical authorities.

Perhaps that's why a recent ranking by the betting website Action Network has some local astronomers scratching their heads over a decision to name California the best state in the nation to stargaze.

By the website's calculation, California topped the list of states, with Colorado, Oregon, Utah and New Mexico following closely behind.

"The Action Network has analyzed sky visibility, elevation, historical meteor activity, and astronomical infrastructure to compile a ranked list of the best states for witnessing celestial events," the website announced.

Although professional astronomers acknowledge that California is an ideal location for star parties, they said the list has its flaws.

"The ranking of those places doesn’t necessarily make any sense at all and is probably based on a variety of assumptions, maybe some judgment involved about which of those states have more dark sky territory and accessibility,” said Ed Krupp, director of the Griffith Observatory.

Experts also took issue with the ranking’s focus on the states with the highest chances of spotting an asteroid, since you can’t actually see an asteroid with the naked eye from anywhere.