@sundogplanets As a professional astronomer who works in the near infra-red, all my allotted telescope time is during near/full Moon. I only experienced true dark skies in South Africa after commissioning an instrument a few years ago at new moon. I went outside at some point in the night and looked up and was completely awestruck by the Southern night sky. Later on Venus rose, and I saw my shadow cast on the white wall of a nearby building. Breathtaking.