Can you see the Milky Way?

[nitram100]

Just wondering, as i've never seen the Milky Way in my whole life!

(I live in London)

Also, my Grandmother told me the other day that she remembers seeing the Milky Way from East London in the 50's, light pollution has come a far way hasn't it? :x

[scotastro]

Interesting as I post this it is running at 50:50.

When showing local groups the night sky I remind them that much of the UK population do not have the same fine views of the sky that we enjoy any clear night. We get to see the Zodiacal Light too.

Mike

GAC

Galloway Astronomy Centre

www.gallowayastro.com

[Ant]

Usually the answer is no, but from time to time when the air moisture is low I get a slight brigtening - which is themilky way.

So my answer would be - only on a good night.

Ant

[timetraveller]

Im fortunate enough to have quite dark skies to the east and south ,so i get to see it more often than others. But only parts of it, as i move through west toward north the light pollution starts to drown out the sky of all but the brightest stars Regards Pete

[thing]

You never see it from where I live. The ambient light in my garden is about the same as the full Moon. Virtually the whole of the South is obliterated by LP too. Not too bad from West through North to East.

[gary1968]

I cant see it from my back garden but I can however from the dark site Iuse which is about 15 mins from home.

Gary

[Doc]

Not in Nottingham.

When I visit my Dad in france I can see it often.

I once went on holiday to Gozo a little island of Malta and we could see it really well. Fantastic sight it was.

[Talitha]

Except when there's lunar interference, I can easily see the Milky Way every night.. even the faint Ophiuchus arm between Beta and Sigma. I live out in the country though, about 325 miles north of my hometown of Chicago.. you're lucky to see the Full Moon down there.

[The Warthog]

No, never, no nay.

[thing]

Right, looks like we're all moving to Carol's then.

[Jeff RV]

Most nights!! At least until them horrible street lights get installed

The Spanish builders have actually installed ""Round dome lights with white light"" along one road about 1.5 k from me, an yet the rest of that estate sodium is used :shock:

Looks like a runway at Gatwick.

We have one English neighbour who does nothing but complain about the lack of "street lights/speed bumps" down our road, Believe me when i say, It's so quiet there that people call it "Gods Waiting Room"

Jeff.

[Astronut]

I just see a faint hint of it running through Cygnus.

I've seen the Milky Way in all its glory as it should be seen from dark sites and my back yard view is abysmal in comparison so I voted no.

Best view of it I've ever had was in the middle of the Indian Ocean when I was a marine engineer in the merchant navy many years ago. Scorpio and Sagittarius were directly overhead. That was the blackest, most starry lit sky I've ever seen and probably never see again.

[jonbarr87]

I can see it although not as magnificently as at a dark site....Very rarely can I manage to see dust lanes from my back yard.....

[Reggie]

I usually mistake the milky way for thin high cloud, then wonder why it hasn't moved for 1/2 an hour. Every now and again I can just about make out the dark lanes, on a night like tonight with hazy seeing bringing the LP much higher than normal.

[Kai]

Usually the answer is no, but from time to time when the air moisture is low I get a slight brigtening - which is themilky way.

So my answer would be - only on a good night.

Ant

Ditto here , but a bit more often than Ant.

[steviejasp]

I can see it on a good night from 1 mile inland of the English channel. Near Worthing, West Sussex.

My best view ever of the skies was from a liveaboard dive boat in the southern Red Sea. We slept on deck every night under the stars. There were so many infact, that i had trouble recognising constellations because they all seemed to have too many bright stars!

[CELESCOPE]

No chance here in Basildon Essex, see a few stars is all on a good night lol . my holiday home in Suffolk reveals the milky way , but only slight, Kelling for me last year was an eye opener ,to see the milky way so vivid , a truely amazing sight. must make imaging a piece of cake with skies like that

Grrrrrrrrrrr

Rog

[nitram100]

wow, i didn't think this many people would be able to see it from thier gardens!

[saturn5]

Although i live in a town luckily my garden has no street lights shining into it and a lot of new lights which only illuminate the ground and not the sky have been installed lately so the milky way is always visible,sky conditions permitting that is,also M33 is a reasonably easy visual target on good nights and is one of the objects i use as a guide to how good the limiting magnitude is,if i can see it then a good night is ahead.

[canuck]

Not a chance from Southwest London...

[Greg]

I'm very lucky to see the MW from my location including the dust lanes..

[narrowbandpaul]

i image from doune in central scotland, it sounds like a crud place to image, but as long as the moon isnt there we can make out the milky way in cassiopeia to cygnus, and on a good night we can see it faintly extended in to aquila. So we are pretty lucky

[Whippy]

I can see it farily well during the Summer when it's overhead on a good night from my back garden. Shame those good nights are few and far between...

Tony..

[barkis]

It is visible from my garden, but only since they street lighting was changed to full cut off.

Before that, I had a job seeng the moon. :laughing2:

Ron.

[dogfish]

My answer is the same as Ant's and Ian's - a slight brightening if it's very clear and dark and all the neighbours have gone to bed, but like Gary, I don't have to travel very far to see it in all it's glory.

Martin