risotto_torinese

Hello, Welcome! Im also in Kent, i as well as other members know of a few dark sites, so just let us know or follow my posts to see where they are

I was like you, eager to find DSOs and they are mindblowing when you see them! The moon however is a total game changer...it obscures plenty of galaxies, nebulas etc... you can still get away with some open clusters..

Ended up finding a great site close to home! Stodmarsh Nature Reserve carpark, just out of the town of Stodmarsh. I've never seen so many DSO's ... great success

Thanks cotterless45. Is it nice and quiet there at night (pedestrains etc)?

Yes i heard that about their observatory at the high school too. Its a very rough high school so i wonder why they put it there. Enjoy your rural Devon then ahah !

I've been doing some backyard astronomy recently with a revelation 8" newtonian, and i keep doing the usual: observing the splendor of jupiter, pleiades and attempt other messier object with repeated failure. I do have a good set of eyepieces as well as UHC filter. I figured i'd try my university (Kent) observatory, but even there the skyglow from the town is evident, and my observing was not particularly much better than the backyard. Someone here posted a popular statement; if you can't see the milky way, you won't be able to see any galaxies and that has got me thinking.... So i'm wandering, are there any dark sites close to Canterbury (not farther than ashford) anyone can point me to? Should i attempt the University Observatory if anyone has had any experience there? Thanks very much from a long time lurker