Stargazing, Camping and Friends, oh my.

[idanyd]

Hi all,

 

This is pretty much a repost of my post in the Welcome section, following a suggestion to post my question where actual questions are supposed to be asked.

 

The deal is this - I live in London, and I want to organize a star-gazing experience for me and some friends. I thought I'd look for a quiet, dark park or reserve to do some camping and star gazing.

I know the Perseids will show around mid-August, so that can be a nice experience. Maybe even hire a telescope or two, for a more thorough look at other celestial objects.

 

I set about gathering information about these kind of trips, but came short.

The Dark Sky Discovery website did list good Dark Sky locations, but it didn't have much helpful information other than that.

I tried looking the SGL beginners' threads, but all I could find were technical recommendations and tutorials.

 

So, I hope the forum members will be will be able help me - 

 

Is my idea viable? Is is thing? Do people do these sort of things?

And if so - where? Are there Dark Sky locations that allow on-site camping? What do I need to know before going there? What should I bring with me? What should I leave at home?

 

It appears I'm a total newbie when it comes to star-gazing, so any nudge to the right direction would be appreciated (though a link to The Beginner's Guide to Stargazing Camping Trips in the Greater London Area would be much preferred   ).

 

Thanks,

Idan 

[brantuk]

Did you join your local astro society yet? They'll know all the local dark sites. There's also plenty of star parties on over the darker months throughout the UK - take a look in the Astro Events and Star parties sections on the forum. You'll also find plenty of local forum member groups in the Social Groups section on the forum.

[brrttpaul]

if distance isnt a problem then why not try brecon  fantastic dark skies and plenty of camping. I was up there two nights ago and it seems to be getting more and more popular must have been 50 cars on the common, easy parking just park up put your scope/chair right outside your car. I was going to go to Blaenavon for the persids but changed my mind now and going to brecon

[L8-Nite]

Considering the weather here in the UK, it might be a good idea to find out about dark sky areas with nearby campgrounds where you don't have to book ahead of time. If the forecast looks great for clear nights, then a spur of the moment trip might be the best option for a decent observing opportunity.

[Andy Mitchell]

I was also recently in the Brecon Beacons for a short holiday, its a nice part of the world with lots to do in the day. Its not at its best currently, you have to stay up until about midnight to see some reasonable darkness (assuming no moon) and by about 2am its getting lighter again. Even the 2 or so hours of what I (unscientifically) describe as reasonable darkness were not truly dark, but if you live in a light polluted area like me its still much better than the back garden Later in the year will be better for a trip from the point of view of astronomy as it will be even darker and for much longer.

The previous time I was in that part of the world the days were much shorter and it was incredibly dark at night, and also nothing but thick cloud!