Weather or Not: Sun and Other Stars

From time to time Todd Gross will be answering some questions here in a column called “Weather or Not.” Got a question, not necessarily weather related, you’d like to ask Todd? Well, ask him. On this rainy day we thought better to think about the sun and other stars.

How sunny is Boston relative to other cities north of the Mason-Dixon line?
We are a fairly sunny city because we are on the coastline, with prevailing winds from the west drying us out. In comparison, Syracuse, Rochester, and much of Western New York have the cloudiest climates in the country, perhaps even as much as Seattle. Compared to other big cities though, our coastal cloudiness from time to time brings our ranking down. New York, Washington, Philly, and Baltimore are sunnier than Boston.

Where is the best place in Eastern MA to see the most stars at night?
Good question! The very best place is in Westernmost Middlesex county around Ashby/Ashburnham. In Central Mass,try the eastern side of the Quabbin Reservoir. Other good spots include darker parts of the Cape, especially the outer Cape.