I am going on a cruise soon and it came upon me that in the middle of the ocean at night there would be no light pollution whatsoever excluding the minute amount of light the crusie liner would emit but i doubt that would have any effect. So i wanted to know, people who have been on cruises or live far from large cities( unlike myself) how bright is the sky at night with no human interference. I could only imagine it being considerably brighter and beautiful.
I am afraid OmeniFighter is correct about the cruise ships being big light polluters, but you should ask if they will be having any night sky programs. Some cruise ships have these programs, and will black out certain areas or for short durations so people can enjoy the night sky in a way it so rarely be enjoyed these days.
Learn more about night sky awareness from the International Dark Sky Association — or any local astronomy club! I am not an astronomy person, but have had a lot to do with night-friendly lighting projects, and night-friendly lighting is not just about astronomy, but about health, good neighbors, improving safety, and even wildlife conservation! No need to wait for your cruise to learn more 
December 26th, 2009 at 4:06 am
in the long stretches of nothingness in AZ, it’s just stunning…. can’t read a map by it, but it’s an awe-inspiring sight….. I envy you the clear skies coming to you on the trip…. talk to the Captain and ask about a ‘dark hour’ or so…. I’ll bet they could out some extra lighting for the star watchers…..
http://www.astronet.ru/db/varstars/msg/1227340
http://greenology.wordpress.com/category/light-pollution/
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December 26th, 2009 at 4:51 am
Actually, it will be darker.
Dark enough that you’ll see even the dim stars, meaning you’ll see a lot, lot more stars than you can see in the city. And, just after Sunset and just before Sunrise, you’ll be able to see several satellites (check heavens-above for the times and direction).
Pretty impressive sight, none the less.
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December 26th, 2009 at 5:05 am
I would first like to emphasize my jealousy of you. going on a cruise will get you an opportunity to see the magnificent night skies.
But if the cruise is a cruise ship (like big tourist full of bars and swimming pools ship) then chances are that the light pollution will be sufficient to prevent you from seeing the stars. remember it takes only one projector to erase the skies.
If you’ll be lucky enough to have a clear sky and no light pollution, you could even spot the milky way.
If your traveling in the northern hemisphere this map would be very useful for spotting constellations.
http://astro.wsu.edu/worthey/astro/html/im-sky/cchart-n.jpg
Have fun on your trip!
OmeniFighter
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December 26th, 2009 at 5:30 am
I am afraid OmeniFighter is correct about the cruise ships being big light polluters, but you should ask if they will be having any night sky programs. Some cruise ships have these programs, and will black out certain areas or for short durations so people can enjoy the night sky in a way it so rarely be enjoyed these days.
Learn more about night sky awareness from the International Dark Sky Association — or any local astronomy club! I am not an astronomy person, but have had a lot to do with night-friendly lighting projects, and night-friendly lighting is not just about astronomy, but about health, good neighbors, improving safety, and even wildlife conservation! No need to wait for your cruise to learn more
References :
http://www.darksky.org/
December 26th, 2009 at 5:58 am
It will be extremely dark if the moon isn’t out. Wait about half an hour for your eyes to adjust and you’ll see so many stars.
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I’ve been to the middle of nowhere several times.