How far would you drive?

[Size9Hex]

Curious how other folks skies compare with conditions near me. Would you happily drive an hour for skies as good as mine? Should I be desperately driving an hour to get away from skies as bad as these? Or, is this about average for where most of us normally observe from?

I can just see M31 naked eye, averted. M33 is right on the limit in 10x50 binos. Stars down to about mag 5.5 averted or 8.5 averted in binos. Milky Way visible as an slightly lighter stripe across the sky, but no detail within. Notably worse in a 90 degree arc towards town.

[tingting44]

Curious how other folks skies compare with conditions near me. Would you happily drive an hour for skies as good as mine? Should I be desperately driving an hour to get away from skies as bad as these? Or, is this about average for where most of us normally observe from?

I can just see M31 naked eye, averted. M33 is right on the limit in 10x50 binos. Stars down to about mag 5.5 averted or 8.5 averted in binos. Milky Way visible as an slightly lighter stripe across the sky, but no detail within. Notably worse in a 90 degree arc towards town.

i live in hampshire also, me and a few others drive to the new forest for dark skies, i drive about 25mins to get there, others drive over 2 hours to get there!

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/211017-new-forest-stargazers-info/?hl=%2Bturf+%2Bhill

[ronin]

Not too far, simply if out for 4 hours then an hours drive either way means only 2 hours actual observing and if you remove set up and take down. So I would say 30-45 minutes.

Also finding somewhere is not always easy, plenty of dark roads etc but no realistic location to set up.

I would suspect that most drive to a suitable and convenient location more then to a dark location, if that location is dark then all the better.

[Starlight 1]

30 minutes in one direction take me to the Astro club, 45 minutes in the opposite direction take me to Real dark skies on the north Norfolk Coast.

[miafey]

For me perhaps 30 mins. 

It's not the driving that is the worst, for me it's how safe this place is. Imagine you'll stay 3-4 hours in the middle of nowhere in complete darkness....

Once when I was in Brecon I drove up to the national visitor center at Libanus, which is a fantastic dark place for viewing or imaging. I was unlucky that day because it was cloudy so I left after 20 mins. But to be honest things had already started getting a bit scary for me. Not that this place is unsafe or anything... but you were there alone.... at least I'd say a bit daunting!!

Not a problem if go in group though.

Mia

[glowjet]

If you have skies as good as that for observing, unless you want to image, then staying put should be perfectly acceptable

[faulksy]

the key to going to dark skies are as followed

check the place out before hand so you know theres no weired people around watching cars, and know loons in cars doing illegal activities

when your happy with your chosen spot arrive in daylight so you can get used to your surroundings and be accustomed to all the noises of animals e.t.c.

arriving early will also allow your eyes to dark adapt naturally, so then when its dark you will not be scared

[Size9Hex]

If you have skies as good as that for observing, unless you want to image, then staying put should be perfectly acceptable

Thanks for replying. It's good to have received your view on this. I've read lots of advice about going to a truly dark site, but I'd guess there's more enjoyment overall in having lots of time somewhere "good enough" than a lot of faff (and less time observing) in getting to somewhere truly dark. It's nice to have some context as to what folks with more experience consider to be good enough.

For what it's worth, I've certainly been enjoying spotting things from where I'm based, even though it's not perfect. My benchmark was a moonless night, years ago in the Australian desert,100km from the nearest settlement!

[Size9Hex]

Thanks to everyone in general too. I'm still taken by how friendly and helpful everyone is on SGL. Some good advice above about travelling going to dark sites which I'll keep in mind.

[Size9Hex]

i live in hampshire also, me and a few others drive to the new forest for dark skies, i drive about 25mins to get there, others drive over 2 hours to get there!

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/211017-new-forest-stargazers-info/?hl=%2Bturf+%2Bhill

You must be in the 90 degree arc I was grumbling about :-)

Thanks for the tip on the New Forest. I was thinking it might be worth a trip for the stars. Certainly worth it for the Autumn colours too.

[Stub Mandrel]

I pride myself on not being afraid of the dark, but after several hours watching Perseids in a place where the only artificial lights were on aircraft a tawny owl let out an horrific screech somewhere in the same field as me. Very scary until I realised it wasn't a human noise!

[Paul73]

You'll see loads from your back garden.

But, it isn't a dark site..... My inlaws live in darkest Dorset. So, the scope goes with us when we visit. My observing site is off a tiny road on the cliff tops. Last time out I was disturbed by four terrifying armed thugs who turned out to be four perfectly pleasant local lads out to splatter a few rabbits after the pub.

To answer your question 30mins. But only for a proper dark site.

Paul

[estwing]

4hrs to elan...51/2 hrs Llyn peninsula...skye next year...er...12hrs!

[Blackadder1620]

Maybe 20 mins unless we are going camping than about 2 hours.

[brantuk]

A half hour drive is about as much as I'm prepared to go to our local club's nearest dark site. Sometimes if there's something special going on I'll do one hour to our other site. But that doesn't happen often. Other than that I'll happily go 120 to 150 miles for a caravan holiday of five days or more at a star party.

[employee2-4601]

Right now I'd be prepared to drive anywhere with clear skies. Bought my first telescope the other day and the forecast for the next week is dreadful! Oh well, I suppose the rewards will be all the greater once the clouds vanish...

[John]

My skies vary depending on the direction you look in but can be as you describe, perhaps a little better. So I'd go as far as our patio, which is where I do most of my observing. It's about 10 feet from where I'm sitting now.

I may drive to a darker site this winter to try and catch the Horsehead Nebula which has so far eluded me.

[mapstar]

4hrs to elan...51/2 hrs Llyn peninsula...skye next year...er...12hrs!

Fingers crossed I'll be joining you Calv

[Mike73]

Thanks for replying. It's good to have received your view on this. I've read lots of advice about going to a truly dark site, but I'd guess there's more enjoyment overall in having lots of time somewhere "good enough" than a lot of faff (and less time observing) in getting to somewhere truly dark. It's nice to have some context as to what folks with more experience consider to be good enough.

I actually enjoy the faff of going to a dark site. The constant checking of weather forecasts, deciding which dark site will be best, loading the van up in the afternoon then getting totally wired on good coffee before hitting the road and singing along with Barry Manilow at the top of my voice...*cough cough* ignore that last bit   .

The problem with dark sites is that when you go somewhere really dark it makes observing from your normal light pollution place at home pretty lame, it doesn't stop you observing or marvelling at the little grey smudges but you cant help wondering what those little grey smudges would look like from somewhere dark!

I'm quite lucky with the skies down this way so if I'm feeling lazy I just go 15 minutes away, if I've got some energy I go to another spot 45 minutes away, my Barry Manilow and good coffee nights are special (and rare) and that spot is just over an hour away. 

[mcolbert]

For what it's worth, I've certainly been enjoying spotting things from where I'm based, even though it's not perfect. My benchmark was a moonless night, years ago in the Australian desert,100km from the nearest settlement!

I didn't realise that there were any settlements left in Australia!    

michael

[callisto]

I'm very lucky to live about 2 minutes drive from our Dark sky discovery site, but to be honest I do most of my observing from my back garden 

[digger1978gee]

Depends where I am. At my home in Liverpool the best place for me is at Llyn Brenig North Wales which is about an 1hour or so drive. Down my parents in Swansea, its either 30 mins up to Brecon(Cray Reservoir) or 15mins to South Gower, where the skies are very decent compared to my mothers back garden. On your own in Brecon though is quite scary, especially when your mind plays tricks on you.  

[estwing]

funny...everything runs away from us when the dob mob show up...

[Size9Hex]

I didn't realise that there were any settlements left in Australia!    

michael

You've jogged me back down memory lane now! From what I recall, even calling it a settlement was overstating it. I was delivering some furniture to a gold mine a long way out from Leinster, WA, which itself is a tiny village in the middle of nowhere. What's the collective noun for three portacabins surrounding a hole in the ground in the desert? That was a 20 hour drive from Perth, which I suppose brings it back round on topic again nicely!

[scarp15]

I'm very lucky to live about 2 minutes drive from our Dark sky discovery site, but to be honest I do most of my observing from my back garden 

Yep very lucky, that dark sky site is somewhere I have visited a number of times and is worth the time and effort it takes from Newcastle to reach. 90% of my time here it is blissful, last time surprisingly two cars of youths in party mood, didn't last too long thank goodness, departing with hand brakes turns, cant imagine where they came from to a fairly remote spot on the wall, sure the Romans would have been impressed though. The live webcam link in the car park is a bit strange, however on one occasion a photographer whom I had met here previously and lives in Gilsland spotted me on the webcam and headed over one evening, so I guess it has its uses.

Anyhow like many others I drive up to 45 - 50 minutes, there are better (darker) locations I could reach, but unless planning to stop over you need to factor in the return journey in the small hours and to cut your losses should the weather turn for the worse. Its does become habit forming though when your home skies are poor such as of Newcastle and these journeys can have the promise of potential mag 21.4 to recorded 21.7 skies.