As someone who lives 45 minutes from the top of Mauna Kea, I can vouch for the difference in light polluted skies vs. not. It is as if someone forgot to plug in most of the lights until you find really clear skies to view the cosmos from.
Nothing makes you feel more insignificant than a sky full of vivid stars, galaxies, etc. The milk way only seemed vaguely milky until I got an eyeful up there. The 10,000 galaxies they found in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field Image project, a patch of sky the size of a quarter held at arms length (that seems empty) is a testament to what's up there. I think human awe is perfectly fine tuned for contemplating a beautiful night sky.
Thanks for sharing these gorgeous photos.