Wow that is dark

[gdheib0430]

So I know there was a thread very recently about how much one can appreciate a dark sky. I just got back From Grass Valley California and I must say dark skies are amazing. I live on the East coast and by looking at any light pollution map you can clearly see the east is way more light polluted than the west.

While in Grass Valley, we drove up to vista point which is at about 4000ft. up in the mountains...the range obscures the only light pollution in the area coming over from Reno. To date, I have not really seen much but a nice glemps of M42, M45 and the planets. I was amazed at how many more stars I could clearly see and it was the first time I have ever CLEARLY seen the milky way band. Not only that, I picked out where M31 would be and sure enough it was bright and very easy to pick out in the sky with the naked eye. I pulled up my 12x60 binos that I brought along and boy I could easily see star bands in M31 and make out a great bit of M42 including clearly seeing the trapezium.

I love the east coast to death, but if I get anywhere close to getting hard core into this hobby I might very well move out west. So happy to know my studying and star searching has paid off. I never thought I could clearly see a whole other galaxy...wish I had that sky for pictures I could see a set of 20 subs would make some amazing photos.

[swamp thing]

Oh yeah! Nothing beats a dark sky.

This is the reason I bang on about them so much.

A few dark sky nights a year keep you sane. Even if you can only manage one night a year under a dark sky, it so rules it gives you so much strength to carry on observing, when under a LP sky.

Glad you experienced it.

Regards Steve

[Nexus 6]

can be no doubt, a truly dark location is an awe inspiring sight, a visit here.... AstroAdventures - Self Catering Astronomy Holiday in Devon UK this year was enough to prove that, even if it rained most of the time I was there. A 20 minute naked eye view of the skies was something else and a small reminder of why I will try again next year.

as for moving, well yes the west coast of the USA sounds great

[mallorcasaint]

The darkest sky I have ever seen was in the Antartic in the 80's. I was part of an expedition traversing the Antartic Peninsula. I well remember lying on my back on the ice, with a can of beer we had brought with us, staring at the incredible sky absolutely filled with stars. In those days I new nothing about the night sky but was overawed. This year I was in the South China sea and Indian Ocean on the Queen Mary 2 and we had "stargazing" night on board with Dr Fransico Diego of the RAS. Incredible views and the ship was so stabe we had no problems with q 12" DOB. Happy days!

[Pug]

Sahara desert 2002, wasn't a stargazer then but had a wow moment!

[callisto]

I remember night fishing at Lizard point in Cornwall about 20 years ago, the sky was awash with points of light, amazing.

[Charon]

Sounds great. Best I have seen was in the South Atlantic 1980,amazing.

[LukeSkywatcher]

The darkest skies i ever saw were from a hotel/golf club deep in the wicklow mountains. I was at a family wedding and went out for some fresh air. The sky was just so full of stars that i found it very difficult to pick out anything individually apart from the MW.

Jupiter was up there but for the life i me i couldnt spot it. I was really out of my comfort zone but it showed me what i am missing by observing from my garden.

[Dunkster]

A few months back I visited deepest darkest Dorset and once it had got dark I had trouble finding stars I recognised, there were so many! Took me a few minutes to find my way about and then start the star align.

I'll hold those memories special, it was early on in my stargazing revisited and I hope to get down that way or better sometime next year. But the reality is that it was a special occasion and many (myself included) have to deal with the sky we've got the rest of the time. London, Reading and M4 corridor make my sky orange but I'd have to drive for an hour to get darkness and it's just not possible to arrange that every time the weather looks less questionable

[Syntarsus]

I picked out where M31 would be and sure enough it was bright and very easy to pick out in the sky with the naked eye. I pulled up my 12x60 binos that I brought along and boy I could easily see star bands in M31 and make out a great bit of M42 including clearly seeing the trapezium.

Great description. Really interesting to hear what truly dark skies are like.

Where I live I drive out from the city to escape the light pollution. But even some distance away I have sometimes found M31 virtually impossible to see - sometimes I can see it with bins, sometimes with bins and averted vision.

So now I know for sure the skies where I live are not properly dark or even close.

[rory]

got to be on my new year resolution list, camp out with my son in a dark location.

[swamp thing]

got to be on my new year resolution list, camp out with my son in a dark location.

Now that's a good resolution.

[GJBC]

My best skies were when i spent a week at Les Granges with Olly down in Etolie Saint Cyrice.

not only was it a good sky no cloud we had picked (purposly) a week with no moon and no planets either to throw lumination into the sky to spoil the fun. the MW overhead stood out like nothing i had seen before. i smoked a that time and as Olly has a No Smoking policy i went out side lit up and then looked up put out and went straight back in and said to Olly lets go i had to wait until we washed up first then promptly had seven clear nights. the first thing we looked at was M13 through his big Dob. To see the DSO in sagittarius was something else. Andromeda was a bar in the sky no if's or but 's it was there for all to see. quality skies at a quality location with a quality host.

Happy new year and clear skies.

Going to watch the fireworks now. see ya all next year.

[scottydog]

A few months back I visited deepest darkest Dorset and once it had got dark I had trouble finding stars I recognised, there were so many! Took me a few minutes to find my way about and then start the star align.

I'll hold those memories special, it was early on in my stargazing revisited and I hope to get down that way or better sometime next year. But the reality is that it was a special occasion and many (myself included) have to deal with the sky we've got the rest of the time. London, Reading and M4 corridor make my sky orange but I'd have to drive for an hour to get darkness and it's just not possible to arrange that every time the weather looks less questionable

Dunkster, where exactly in Dorset were you? I live on the border and I can be in pretty dark skies in a twenty minute drive or less

[gurneyfan67]

Years ago serving in the US Navy on board ship seeing the Magellenic clouds and the Southern Cross at mid Pacific.

[Dunkster]

Dunkster, where exactly in Dorset were you? I live on the border and I can be in pretty dark skies in a twenty minute drive or less

On top of Bulbarrow hill... suggested by a friend (a local)... not a bad view, so long as you don't look down (sprinkling of street lights from all the villages down in the value - it looks out over quite a distance). There are a bunch of council/public parking spots and it took me a couple of tries to find one shielded from the road - traffic isn't frequent, but headlights are that much brighter in the dark!

I bet plenty of north Dorset, south Wiltshire, etc, have similar views if you keep away from the towns - and know where to find them

A bit far from here for regular viewing though