exmoor dark sky

[love6060]

hi there i was just wondering if anyone has been to the dark sky site on exmoor yet and if so what was it like and would you recommend.

[JamesF]

I've not been out on Exmoor with a scope, but I'm less than three miles from its eastern edge. On a good night I think the sky here is impressive. The Milky Way is easily visible with the naked eye, as are objects such as the Andromeda Galaxy and the Beehive Cluster. I did the CPRE's star count the other night (good, but not outstanding seeing) and inside the box formed by joining the stars Betelgeuse, Bellatrix, Rigel and Saiph in Orion (but not including them) I counted twenty-five stars fairly easily, excluding a couple that may have been just visible with averted vision. I'd estimate the naked eye limiting magnitude is somewhere between 6 and 6.5. There is some light pollution from Taunton, Minehead and possibly even from Wales, but unless there's a lot of moisture in the air (in which case the seeing is poor anyhow) it's restricted to fairly low bands on the horizon.

Whether it's worth the trip probably depends on what you're used to. If you can get close to similar seeing locally perhaps not, but if your best viewing site is badly afflicted by light pollution or your seeing is poor for other reasons then on a brilliant night you'd probably find it quite jaw-dropping even without any form of optical enhancement.

James

[Tiddles]

I stayed near Exmoor recently and made the trip to the NLO in Sidmouth, well worth the effort. I think they meet Friday evenings.

[love6060]

thanks guys i only live in plymouth so it is not to far to drive 1 - 1 1/2 hours. but if i get up there pitch up a tent and a telescope and a tripod with dslr then i would be a very happy man.

[Kai]

Why not Dartmoor as its nearer ?

[kuro]

Why not Dartmoor as its nearer ?

I was going to say exactly the same thing. Why travel to Exmoor when Dartmoor is on the doorstep.

Im only a few miles from Plympton and used to work there. If I remember rightly the moor is quite accessible from Plympton. The places that spring to mind are the filming locations for War Horse like Burrator, Cadover Bridge and Meavy. They are only a few miles away but i would imagine they are pretty dark.

Having said, I dont know what its like up there at night, may be full of the local barryboys etc, etc.

[mallorcasaint]

Come up to the NLO. We have wonderful dark skies (when the Cloud Gods are asleep!)

[Tyr]

Are you talking about any location in particular on Exmoor or generally about the whole of the National Park. I notice that there's one been marked on the Dark Sky Discovery map at Wimbleblall

Dark Sky Discovery Sites

There was also a camp site being discussed on here a while ago from memory somewhere around Wheddon Cross? I could be wrong there. I hope I've bookmarked it in my subscriptions somewhere.

re Dartmoor, I tried staying a couple of nights in somewhere called Postbridge which seemed nearish to the center of the moor last September hoping for some stargazing. It certainly seemed dark and cloudy doh! but promising enough that I'd try it again. Does anyone else has experience of observing there?

Tyr

[astromerlin]

Theres a star camp planned at the end of March at Wimbleball lake.

Pretty dark there too.

The first Dark Sky Discovery Site on Exmoor

[4lefts]

i've been up near postbridge. it's dark. the thing is you need to know a spot on the moor, as it's so flat that if you're anywhere near the road then cars' main beams carry a looooong way an blind you. plus it gets really windy, and kind of scary if you're by yourself, it you're like me and get scared by that kind of thing easily.

but if you know the moor better than me and know a spot, you're golden.

[kuro]

i've been up near postbridge. it's dark. the thing is you need to know a spot on the moor, as it's so flat that if you're anywhere near the road then cars' main beams carry a looooong way an blind you. plus it gets really windy, and kind of scary if you're by yourself, it you're like me and get scared by that kind of thing easily.

but if you know the moor better than me and know a spot, you're golden.

My daughter has just been telling me about the legend of the hairy hands on dartmoor. I looked it up on wikipedia and they are supposed to appear in the postbridge area.

Will you be going there on your own again? ........lol

[mallorcasaint]

Ya big jessies!

[4lefts]

i'm a total jessie. though, to be fair, i'm not bothered about goblins and wolves, but more about nutters and weirdos.

[mallorcasaint]

i'm a total jessie. though, to be fair, i'm not bothered about goblins and wolves, but more about nutters and weirdos.

Ah! You've been to Devon before then!