7 things nobody tells you about stargazing (that make a huge difference)

A few years ago, a friend came back from Jordan in September and told me I'd got it wrong. "I went to that desert you told me about but I didn't see many stars," he said. This was awkward. I'd been very specific. Wadi Rum is one of the best places on Earth for stargazing and to see the Milky Way — vast, dry, high and almost completely free of light pollution. I'd painted a picture of it: a river of starlight arching over the desert. "I mean, there were stars," he added. "But no Milky Way . …