Step outside with me the next time weather clears the horizon, slow your mind, enlist yourself in a starry awe and reset your body. Science suggests that this gander to the voids of the sky can improve your mental and physical health.

If you haven't joined us in watching a meteor shower or a planetary dance across the skies recently, it might be time. At least one study suggests time under total darkness can heal your soul.

People shown various levels of darkness in a planetarium responded to how well they felt, and to nobody's surprise, light pollution limited the benefits of skywatching and kept stress held within the body at a higher level than when participants looked up to pure black skies and stars.

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Head outdoors on a night with a new moon, as far from city lights as possible, for the time away from the world that offers the most benefit and relaxation.

Seeing a fleeting event like a sunset, meteor shower or eclipse can inspire awe in all of us. This can bring a sense of calm and the feeling that you're a part of something much bigger.

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Just being outside and staring skyward can slow you down, too. Instead of watching social feeds and swiping screens in all directions, stopping to look at slower events can lower your stress level. If you include a walk or hike, you can trick your body's nervous, muscular, respiratory and lymphatic systems into being healthier.

And if you're "on the clock" all the time like me, blinking at darkness can tell your body to produce more melatonin, the hormone that makes you sleepy. Just don't jump on your phone before you hit your bed. It can wait until the morning.

Jonathan Belles has been a digital meteorologist for weather.com for 10 years. His favorite weather is tropical weather, but also enjoys covering high-impact weather and news stories and winter storms. He's a two-time graduate of Florida State University and a proud graduate of St. Petersburg College.