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northwest dark skies

sunshine185

By sunshine185
in Observing - Discussion

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  • 2 weeks later...
imarcs

imarcs

Posted
Posted

I checked out the hills between Bolton and Blackburn last night. Found a Plateau devoid of a view of a single electric light / car light, considerably less glow then my house in Ramsbottom and only about 60m from the road. Just waiting for a clear night to give it a proper look.

I would be interested in meeting any locals and arranging a clear night outing to this or any of the locations mentioned above.

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MjrTom

MjrTom

Posted
Posted

Yeah we are a bit limited around us ;)

I find Denbigh moors is a perfect spot just across the welsh border. No major conerbations nearby and high enough above the nearby villages to avoid any localised light domes.

The sky is a good bortle 6 :rolleyes:

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Polar Bear

Polar Bear

Posted
Posted
I checked out the hills between Bolton and Blackburn last night. Found a Plateau devoid of a view of a single electric light / car light, considerably less glow then my house in Ramsbottom and only about 60m from the road. Just waiting for a clear night to give it a proper look.

I would be interested in meeting any locals and arranging a clear night outing to this or any of the locations mentioned above.

Wherever you have found ensure it is away from the ******* fraternity that meet up at the large lay-by north of Egerton as I found to my horror when out walking with the Mrs near there.

I have found Winter Hill Mast to be a problem in that area especially for any astro-photography . If you fancy some Perseid watching and a chat let me know where and when and I may be able to meet up as I am only over the hills in Chorley.

Just noticed that ******* is in the word filtering , I was referring to people who like to watch others in a lewd act....

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Scosmico

Scosmico

Posted
Posted

Hi,

Check my tutorial.

Click:

http://stargazerslounge.com/beginners-help-advice/146220-light-pollution-map.html#post1854645

It helps me to plan my observational site anywhere in the world I go.

kind regards.

Scosmico

hello guys, how far out of oldham will i have to go for reasonable dark skies? was thinking somewhere over t`pennines, but will this be ok as being slap bang in the middle of lancashire and yorkshire?, thnx.
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Brinders

Brinders

Posted
Posted
hello guys, how far out of oldham will i have to go for reasonable dark skies? was thinking somewhere over t`pennines, but will this be ok as being slap bang in the middle of lancashire and yorkshire?, thnx.

No,no,no, you don't want to go into Yorkshire! ;)

Brinders

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imarcs

imarcs

Posted
Posted

Unfortunately too many clouds last night to make a trip worthwhile.

Its very easy to find. M65 Junction 5. Head SE on the A6177. Drive approx 2 miles Turn right onto Jackson Heights Road. Drive 1.1 miles and you will see a 6ft stone stood on its edge on the left. Theres space to park two cars. Walk about 50m up the footpath and you will find yourself in a 'bowl'. If you position yourself correctly you cannot see any electric lights, including the road or any of the masts in the area, albeit you do miss out a bit on the horizon obviously

I think its remote and small enough not to be used by the local ******* fraternity, and doesn't appear on their websites (so im told:p) unlike the layby mentioned earlier.

I would happily show anyone else and defer to their assessment as im still very much an amateur at this, but its certainly better then my back garden and only 15 minutes away. Feel free to PM me.

Google Map Co-ords are 53.698117,-2.407916

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imarcs

imarcs

Posted
Posted

Good idea Vicky, we should try to set something up in the near future, it sounds like there's a few of us around here. And i've just had a few clear nights whilst camping in Dorset and FINALLY managed to get my ten year old interested...

Phil, did you get a chance to check it out?

Unfortunately, I'm heading to SE Asia tomorrow for a month, but will get in touch upon my return.

Marc

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mikinio

mikinio

Posted
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Wherever you have found ensure it is away from the ******* fraternity that meet up at the large lay-by north of Egerton as I found to my horror when out walking with the Mrs near there.

I have found Winter Hill Mast to be a problem in that area especially for any astro-photography . If you fancy some Perseid watching and a chat let me know where and when and I may be able to meet up as I am only over the hills in Chorley.

Just noticed that ******* is in the word filtering , I was referring to people who like to watch others in a lewd act....

damn i was planning on taking my scope to winter hill,you know anywhere else nearby? i cant even polar align at my house because of the street light 10" away

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Sharper

Sharper

Posted
Posted

One place well worth checking out is the @stronomy centre which lies just off the A681 Todmorden to Bacup road. The centre offers a reasonably dark site which is sited in a natural dip in the hilltop which shields if from the local towns of Bacup and Todmorden.

@stronomy centre official website

Information on these forums about the centre

The Observatory at the centre is open to the public every Saturday evening from 7.30pm onwards. It is also possible to become a member of the centre for a small annual fee and volunteer your time to help run the centre.

Hope this helps!!

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JimStan

JimStan

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" Drive approx 2 miles Turn right onto Jackson Heights Road. Drive 1.1 miles and you will see a 6ft stone stood on its edge on the left. Theres space to park two cars. Walk about 50m up the footpath . . . ."

"Miles" ? ? ? I thought you guys were on the metric system over there. And then you walk "50 METERS up the footpath" You sure have this old Maryland fuddy-duddy confused!

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Sharper

Sharper

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Posted

JimStan, in the UK we mix and match metric and imperial and use what suits us best and what seems most natural. This means road signs display distances in miles (sometimes) and our cars travel in miles per hour, however the petrol we put in our cars is in litres. If you buy draught beer in a pub it is in pints, but if you buy beer in a shop it is in litres. The grids on a walking map are 1km by 1km, but if you ask a walker how far they have walked they will invariably answer in miles.

Don't worry though you aren't the only one confused, so was the $125m Mars Climate Orbiter Spacecraft when it tried to enter the orbit of Mars having been programmed in both imperial and metric units. So does the UK use the imperial or metric system - both. Is the UK a democracy or a monarchy - both. I hope this clears up any confusion. :rolleyes:

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imarcs

imarcs

Posted
Posted
" Drive approx 2 miles Turn right onto Jackson Heights Road. Drive 1.1 miles and you will see a 6ft stone stood on its edge on the left. Theres space to park two cars. Walk about 50m up the footpath . . . ."

"Miles" ? ? ? I thought you guys were on the metric system over there. And then you walk "50 METERS up the footpath" You sure have this old Maryland fuddy-duddy confused!

I lived in the states for 6 years... i cant help it if im confused

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Brinders

Brinders

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Posted
JimStan, in the UK we mix and match metric and imperial and use what suits us best and what seems most natural. This means road signs display distances in miles (sometimes) and our cars travel in miles per hour, however the petrol we put in our cars is in litres. If you buy draught beer in a pub it is in pints, but if you buy beer in a shop it is in litres. The grids on a walking map are 1km by 1km, but if you ask a walker how far they have walked they will invariably answer in miles.

I'm of that age where I invariably think in feet and inches and miles. But in the past, as a surveyor, I had to work in metric. Nevertheless, I have a better appreciation of a measured mile than a kilometre, so I find that I think of distances and other every day measurements (such as how tall a person is) in imperial.

As to filling up the car, it might be priced in litres, but I put in X amount in pounds (currency, not weight) and take no note of how many litres actually went into the tank. Plus, I have set the car's trip computer to tell me how many miles I can go on whatever is in the tank and what the MPG (miles per gallon is). I also have a better appreciation of what a gallon is by volume (and weight - my old Dad used to get me to carry a gallon of petrol from the local filling station to home for his motorbike as a kid) than I do a litre.

Strange thing is, I have driven often in Cyprus, Spain and France where I go all metric. Go figure!

Brinders

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