Observing by the sea vs on the moors

[pipnina]

I live in plymouth, and until now I've used wembury beach as my "Dark site". But most LP maps say that dartmoor is considerably darker.

I know that at the beach I will likely get better observing on planets / the moon, but further in-land and higher up on the moors I will get darker skies and will have less atmosphere above me? (I'd be going from 0m to 500~m altitude based on some topology maps I found)

One problem, though, is that on the moors I'm not sure where I'd park and the LP dome from plymouth moves to the southern part of the sky... But will it be darker overall?

Like to know you guys opinion on this.

    ~pip

[acey]

Altitude won't make a difference but any bright light domes on your southern horizon would be a handicap - objects are at their highest when due south so that's the direction in which most DSO viewing is done (in northern hemisphere). But why not give it a try? Light pollution maps are very inexact and shouldn't be taken as definitive. You only know what a site is like once you get there.

[pipnina]

Altitude won't make a difference but any bright light domes on your southern horizon would be a handicap - objects are at their highest when due south so that's the direction in which most DSO viewing is done (in northern hemisphere). But why not give it a try? Light pollution maps are very inexact and shouldn't be taken as definitive. You only know what a site is like once you get there.

I might have to scout around and find somewhere and try it on the next clear night... Finding somewhere to park is probably going to be as bad as finding somewhere to observe.

[nutter45]

You could try going 25 minutes west to Bodmin Moor, up near Minions is high and would have a much clearer sky to the south.

[brantuk]

It's well worth finding a good dark site inland - if only cos prolonged use at the beach can result in mirror coatings getting attacked by the salt in the sea air over a year or two. But it does need scouting out and checked for light pollution to get a regular pitch. You're better placed than most with two big dark moors nearby.

[pipnina]

It's well worth finding a good dark site inland - if only cos prolonged use at the beach can result in mirror coatings getting attacked by the salt in the sea air over a year or two. But it does need scouting out and checked for light pollution to get a regular pitch. You're better placed than most with two big dark moors nearby.

Yeah, having looked at most LP maps there's a triangle of LP going from london to manchester to newcastle. It's a shame that the darker of the two moors is fsr enough away to only be justifiable on a holliday.

I shall have to scout around in dartmoor... But isn't that where the ticks live?

[Size9Hex]

I've camped out on Dartmoor a number of times. The skies are fabulous by UK standards. There are loads of nice large roadside laybys on the top of the moor to park in. Not sure how familiar you are with it, but keep in mind that the weather on the summit of the moor can be spectacularly unpleasant compared to at sea level. I've never been bothered by a single tick despite various camping/climbing/hiking trips to Dartmoor (or indeed to many other wild parts of the UK). That's not to say there aren't any, but I don't think they're much to worry about (and if you do get one, they're easily removed with tweezers). The Beast of Dartmoor is an entirely different proposition however....

Let us know how you get on. Good luck!

[pipnina]

I've camped out on Dartmoor a number of times. The skies are fabulous by UK standards. There are loads of nice large roadside laybys on the top of the moor to park in. Not sure how familiar you are with it, but keep in mind that the weather on the summit of the moor can be spectacularly unpleasant compared to at sea level. I've never been bothered by a single tick despite various camping/climbing/hiking trips to Dartmoor (or indeed to many other wild parts of the UK). That's not to say there aren't any, but I don't think they're much to worry about (and if you do get one, they're easily removed with tweezers). The Beast of Dartmoor is an entirely different proposition however....

Let us know how you get on. Good luck!

By "Unpleasant" I assume you mean "Cold and windy"!

Your praise of the sky & lack of ticks is reassuring. Hopefully the Beast of Dartmoor has an appreciation for astronomy

[Size9Hex]

Hopefully the Beast of Dartmoor has an appreciation for astronomy

It'll probably appreciate an inhumanly large (and not necessarily circle-shaped) exit pupil, so be prepared to tame it with the right eyepiece ;-)

[russo]

Google maps is your friend here, You can get an idea of where to look before you go.  If you turn on satellite view and zoom right in on some of the roads, there aren't too many running over the moor, you can get a nice idea of where the parking areas are and which ones might be suitable for you.  

Take a look at the B3212 running North east from Two Bridges, a couple of kilometers from Two bridges the road kinks a little bit more northerly just before an area of woodland, there's a parking area on the southern side, just before the bend, which is quite deep, has some banking to protect you from road traffic light and has a path leading away should you wish to take your gear further from the car park and doesn't have anythign too major directly south of it, although Plymouth is South West of course.  Might be worth a look.