paddyb

Thanks for your reply. I think I should plan to spend a feww days outr there to hedge by bets a bit - it's bad one day, hopefully better the next day. I understand that the dryness of the air also has an effect on visability, so with the chance of cloud cover I'm guessing that the air is generally mosier than at other time of year. How much differance do you think that will make?

Thanks. Having a play with Stellarium now. Looks like quite a good view just before dawn as well, if I can get up that early.

I’m just about to book a trip to Morocco and plan to be out in the desert near Zagora around the time of the new moon on 23 Nov. I’d briefly seen some climate info and noted that it would be quite cool, but with very little chance of rain, but looking at the info here, it seems there is a fair chance of cloud cover in November. https://weatherspark.com/y/34027/Average-Weather-in-Zagora-Morocco-Year-Round Even if there isn’t cloud cover, is the amount of moisture in the air likely to affect results? Are my plans thwarted? How does this chart compare to other dark sky areas you may have experience of?

Thanks both I'll be going on some kind of tour rather than on my own, swo it should be safe. Sounds like a good view should be possible, my main issue is getting there from Marrakesh in time for the new moon on the 23rd and I've been advised in another thread to try and get there a couple of days earlier than while sagatarius is still in view, though there will be a slight moon. Will investigate binoculars, but don't want to spend a lot or take anhything to bulky with me. I'm sure someone else on the trip will have some I can have a look though!

I’m hoping to attempt my first proper dark site star gazing experience in Morocco in a couple of weeks. Does anyone have any experience there. Any recommendations for dark sky sites within a few hours of Marrakech? In particular, I like to sound of this place: http://www.saharasky.net/hotel/index.php It has an “observatory”. That might be too an ambitious term for what it is (elsewhere described as an amateur telescope - there picture of it so I’m sure someone here will know more about it) but I have no equipment whatsoever, so a chance to have a go with equipment like this in a truly dark area is quite a draw for me. It’s about 30km from the nearest town Zagora, but there are some quite large looking villages a few KM away. Will this provide too much light pollution for a to really be considered a dark site? Any other Moroccan recommendations. Use of a telescope a bonus!

Thanks, so no moon after 9pm on the 26th, but also no Sagittarius? Thanks for the video. This shows the position at 6.55pm on those days? What software did you do this with? I'd be interested to see other times and days?

Ok, thabnks. What time does it set on the 23/24? Is there somewhere online I can check this for other dates?

Ok, thanks. I'm obviously not understanding Moonset, which I would take to mean that the moon is below the horizon? So if it sets at 20.56 on the 26th, why would I see I crescent moon after that time? I will hopefully have other staergazing opportunities in future years, but this year Morocco is the best I can do do. Will I still see some of the Milky Way?

I’m going to Morocco later this month and hope to get out into the desert to gaze at the Miky Way, something I’ve always wanted to do. Obviously I should be looking at being out there for there for new moon, which is on 23 Nov, but looking in more detail https://www.timeanddate.com/moon/morocco/marrakech it appears that the moon sets quite early in the evening during that week, so would it matter if I went a bit later that week, on the 26 / 27 for instance (which would be more convienient) , when it sets at 20.56 / 22.07? If I went out after those times, would the be any light from the moon to interfere with the stars? Probably completely misunderstanding this!