Jump to content

Banner.jpg.b89429c566825f6ab32bcafbada449c9.jpg

The Milky Way in the UK?

t0ny

By t0ny
in Getting Started With Observing

Recommended Posts

tich

tich

Posted
Posted

I have managed to see it at home but nothing like how I saw it in Wales last October as I was getting lost looking at the stars finding it difficult to make out the easiest of constellations. I don't think I've seen so many stars.

My attempt of taking a picture of a part of it doesn't do it any justice but it was a fantastic site.

12655_10151143968973434_629904466_n.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Replies 51
  • Created
  • Last Reply
t0ny

t0ny

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I'm four miles from Norwich and we don't have street lights, but maybe I've not been looking at the right time or just never noticed. It's my goal this year to see it! Oh and to lose some weight!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
IanL

IanL

Posted
Posted

Four miles is not great in terms of LP from a place like Norwich. I think you'd be wanting to get at least 10 miles away from the edge of a large urban area before things start to improve, and probably more like 20 or 30 before it gets really good. I'm about 6 miles out from Colchester, again no street lights to speak of. The Colchester direction suffers from LP, especially on non-transparent nights. The Milky Way is clearly visible most nights, but it is a shadow of what I have seen from truly dark sites away from town when you feel like you could read a book by it's light (you couldn't but it is amazingly bright when everything else around is properly dark).

One reason I recommended going up to the coast is that we also have the North Sea on the other side of us. There aren't many street lights out there (though I guess offshore oil/gas platforms can be an issue in some places round the UK). It sort of balances out any existing LP as maybe in half the compass directions the sky is really dark and so you tend to find that the zenith is also darker than it otherwise would be.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
stevetynant

stevetynant

Posted
Posted

I wonder actually if more people would have seen it if they knew what they were looking at. In the last year I've seen it loads of times. Stunning up on the epynt, trecastle, Brecon and blaenavon in Wales but now I've also seen it from my back garden, no where near as bright but now with a bit more experience quite obvious. Its obviously always been within my capabilities to do that from home but until I took up this hobby last year I was just oblivious to it. I'm guessing there's a whole load of others in the same boat.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Rich MedRev

Rich MedRev

Posted
Posted

I have enjoyed the milky way in many sites in North Norfolk, it will never emulate Hawaii for example but it is a super sight once you find a spot with no lights and you are dark adapted

Sent from my BlackBerry 9800 using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites
laser_jock99

laser_jock99

Posted
Posted

Light pollution is the biggest problem, closley followed by are transparency in the UK and then our georaphical location. To get the best views of those dark dust lanes you'll need dark skies & the very clearest of air.

It's also worth remembering that the very best parts of the Milky Way looking towards the Galactic centre are always going to be very low down on the south horizon as viewed from the UK. You will always get clearer views of Scorpius and Sagitarius from countries that are further south since these constellations will be higher up or even overhead!!!

From my garden in Mid Wales there is no Light Pollution due south and on a clear night the Milky Way goes down to the Southern horizon. The best parts of the Milky Way in Sagitarius are just about visible.

_dir7780_edit_small.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jammo

jammo

Posted
Posted

I remember as a wee lad seeing it from north west Norfolk (near Sedgeford) it looked amazing, you can just about see it from Mattishall area it looks like a faint band, if the seeing is good, but not like the long exposure shots, but even from there the light pollution shows a lot on a say 30 second exposure :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 4 months later...
martiandictator

martiandictator

Posted
Posted

I think most people in the UK could see the Milky Way if they were willing to take a midnight stroll and knew what they were looking at. Now I know what I'm looking for, on a good night I can make out the Cygnus Rift in my back garden despite the local light pollution.

In decent conditions a 30 minute walk out into the farmland surrounding most medium-large towns will be enough to see the Milky Way in some capacity. The view is extremely lacking compared to Africa etc, but it will tide you over until you make a trip to a genuine dark sky site.

I definitely think taking a walk into the country in the dead of night is worth it for the novelty of seeing the Milky Way with your own eyes in your own country.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jabberwocky

jabberwocky

Posted
Posted

Just seen it from my back garden for the first time, not the best view I've had of it but chuffed I can see it from my garden.

im going camping in southern Africa in November so really looking forward to the dark skies over there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kaybee

kaybee

Posted
Posted

As several have mentioned you need to be out of town, and on a moonless night. A couple of years ago I had a lovely view whilst camping in Dorset (Langton Matravers) over the August Bank Holiday weekend. It was the first time I'd seen the Milky Way and not an experience I'll ever forget; definitely a memory to hang on to. We had a fair few meteors thrown in too :smiley:

Whilst I'd always had a passing interest in astronomy it was gazing at the Milky Way that weekend that really sparked it off.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kaybee

kaybee

Posted
Posted

Langton Matravers is a character in a George Eliot novel. Or should be, if there's any justice in the world.

James

Love it :laugh: . As soon as you get to the Corfe area there's a whole family of Matravers' !

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Stu

Stu

Posted
Posted

Yep, the children and I always have a little giggle when we see Langton Matravers. It normally gets said in the style of a West Country pirate for some reason :-).

The Milky Way from that area is lovely. I particularly like where it runs through Cygnus with the dark rifts. Can't see it at all from home so really enjoy my breaks down there.

Stu

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kaybee

kaybee

Posted
Posted

There is a lovely stretch of dark skies down there. Last year we were in Seatown. Made the mistake of it being a "planned" stargazing trip though... which of course brought the inevitable clouds for two out of three nights!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DirkSteele

DirkSteele

Posted
Posted

Looking forward to our trip to Namibia in August, should hopefully get some spectacular views from there.

I observed with a 12" scope in Namibia 2 years ago (and heading back in October) and it was some of the best skies I have ever seen. The experience will stay with you forever.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.