Ready for the dark site!

[emyliano2000]

Hi guys. As the title says I'm all ready to go to a rather darker site than my back garden. I fully flocked my OTA, bought bags and cases for the equipment, bought a dew shield too (just in case), and of course the tent is waiting in the loft. I found the closest darker place to where I live. On the light pollution map it is grey witch is much better compared to the yellow-red from my back garden. I drove there last night around 10:30 PM to check out the spot on a clear night  and I was amazed of the difference. Unfortunately I can only go and spend the night there on a Saturday (work).

My question is regarding the spot that I chose. It is on top of a hill and I can see the lights from the closest towns and villages and the light from the cars driving on the closest road. I thing I read somewhere that is much better to be on top of a hill rather than the bottom of it or somewhere on flat ground but I thought of asking. I will try to find a spot on that hill where I can't see too much of the light but I wanna make sure I made the right choice.

Cheers, Emil.

[brantuk]

If you can see the light domes created from nearby towns and cities then being on a hill might not be the best thing. I tend to look for well shielded areas where I won't be exposed to sudden flashes of white light (eg car head lights) which will ruin your night vision. I also try to avoid being near water (lakes/rivers) which can cause mist and condensation on lenses and mirrors.

It's hard to find the perfect spot though, and sometimes compromises have to be made.

[wimvb]

You can always put your tent or scope in a strategic place to shield from lights. Or buy a wind screen and use this with a(?) tarp to make it darker.

Avoiding valleys is always a good thing because of the risk of ground fog. On top of a hill you also have a better view, generally.But this works both ways

[Aaron F Johnson]

Great point Brant...It's not just the dark sky it's also the shielding at the level of observation relative to the elevation. Yes a hill is great to get above the surrounding obstuctions for the biggest sky and the atmosphere is thinner at higher points above sea level but the cool night air will flow downhill and thermal ground heat will rise from the hills peak so the better spot is hillside but a dark sky with intermittent ground level pollution could repetedly ruin dark adaptation and the trip. I would grab the spot on the hillside using the hill to block any offending pollution, any natural blocks I would use to assist the hillside block...does not need to be much just a few trees and some underbrush or similar. Have a fantastic trip and enjoy the dark site!