Moving house - tips for finding astronomy friendly properties?

[Leo S]

So we are currently in between properties and on the verge of selling the old house. I have been looking (around the north cost of Norfolk) for a suitable property to move to, but not really seeing anything great in our price range, so will probably have to widen the search and look in other areas.

I was wondering if anyone has any tips for helping to find a good property, ie. one that will work well for astrophotography. Of course I have used light pollution maps to check the suitability of potential properties, but perhaps there are some other tricks I might be missing?

While a reasonably dark sky is important to me, I specialize in imaging meteors and fireballs with video cameras, so good views in as many directions as possible (ie few obstructions blocking the view of the horizon) are more of a priority. I was hoping for one in a green zone (ideally), but so far what I've found that is suitable is a bit pricey, so may have to compromise there!

 

[Zermelo]

I was thinking about this recently:

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/410435-light-pollution-maps-with-sqm-contour-lines

I'm exclusively night-time visual. My take on it is that you want the best combination of dark skies and clear weather. The best information I could find was this:

 

[Captain Scarlet]

I find the site www.lightpollutionmap.info the best for predicting LP levels. Select the "Atlas 2015" tab, which shows a modelled prediction of what your SQM might be based on the then-latest VIIRS readings from above. I find it to be quite accurate, based on lots of SQM data I've collected over the past few years at two different sites, one near London and the other here in rural West Cork. On the map, simply click where you want to check and a pop-up with estimated SQM will appear.

Cheers, Magnus

[doublevodka]

Couple of things I can think of, I guess the most important thing is to go to the areas when dark and check it out for yourself if possible. Light polution maps are all well and good, but it doesn't always account for local issues.

Are there floodlit sports fields nearby which will ruin any early evening views? Are there any other major sources of light pollution around? Car sales places for example love to have floodlights on all night long to "protect" their stock.

Trees - are there any big ones around prospective houses that are going to block your view in certain directions.

Neighbours, this one is harder, but any obviously lit-up gardens, some people are a bit scared of the dark, especially those who are new to rural areas.

Are you sure you don't want to just move to the Atacama Desert? 😂

[M40]

When we were looking, did all the usual with google maps, light pollution maps etc, but nothing beats simply going and looking. We crossed one house off as soon as we saw it because it was surrounded by trees that were in none of the pictures. Also look for streetlights, we are very fortunate? In that there are no street lights where we live and it gets very dark when the local pub closes and turns its lights off. Good luck with your search.

[tomato]

When looking for a property in Shropshire for our retirement move I came across a property on the Welsh border (Bortle 2/3) in our  price range which already had a Pulsar Dome in the grounds. However, access was by 4x4, no mains drainage or electricity, a step too far for the Mrs. 

[bosun21]

15 minutes ago, tomato said:

When looking for a property in Shropshire for our retirement move I came across a property on the Welsh border (Bortle 2/3) in our  price range which already had a Pulsar Dome in the grounds. However, access was by 4x4, no mains drainage or electricity, a step too far for the Mrs. 

Pity, those skies would be fantastic!

[Mandy D]

11 minutes ago, bosun21 said:

Pity, those skies would be fantastic!

On the fifth Thursday in July when the clouds briefly clear, it being on the Welsh border and all that! Access by 4x4 sounds fun, though!

[tomato]

Here is a photo of the dome I posted on SGL at the time, it literally was in the middle of a field.

[Beulah]

Visit the property at night to see how bad the neighbours' exterior lighting is. Plus check to see if there is any street lighting... sometimes the fixtures are changed in between Google Street view visits! No street lighting is optimal but neighbours' lighting can be just as bad!

You could also check the council's street lighting policy...LED colour temperature (sub 3000 Kelvins) part night lighting, etc.

South facing aspect with a low horizon to access those beauties in Sagittarius.... Properties in valleys restrict low-placed targets but can shield light pollution from nearby habitations.

Properties on hills can suffer from wind exposure. 

Another think about is access to darker skies ...is the property near any potential prime stargazing areas within a short drive? 

Rural and isolated is the best but there has to be a happy place between being able to access services/work,etc. We had an opportunity to live in a remote off-grid property a few years ago but had to compromise because of being able to get to work, etc!

Good luck!

[Clarkey]

Looking at the map above you have 2 choices:

Light pollution and clear skies or;

Dark skies with cloud.

Spain it is then😀

[Leo S]

Thank you all for the helpful replies and well wishes!

The point Zermelo made about clear skies is a good one. I had taken into account that Norfolk has one of the better clear sky statistics, but have not looked at other parts of the country in that respect yet, so that map will come in handy!

As many of you have suggested, I will visit any property at night, and check out the neighbors/street lights before we make any offer. Ideally I'd like a property that's on it's own, and surrounded by fields. Properties like that seem few and far between though, at least in our price range in Norfolk. I did see one, that was near perfect (at least 2 fields away from any neighboring property, and well away from villages/towns), but around 50K out of our price range, despite the price having been dropped over summer.

So will now have a look in some other areas, although east (of here) is the current preference.

Thanks once again for all the ideas!

[Aramcheck]

On 27/09/2023 at 12:54, Zermelo said:

The best information I could find was this:

@Zermelo I don't suppose you've got a source website for that graphic?

Cheers
Ivor

[knobby]

If you have the time and patience, before your final choice, see if you can find an AirBnB to stay at nearby for a few nights.

[Zermelo]

49 minutes ago, Aramcheck said:

@Zermelo I don't suppose you've got a source website for that graphic?

Cheers
Ivor

You have found a hole in my filing system, Ivor.
When I download a resource like that, I usually create a local URL link to the remote resource at the same time, but I didn't in this case.

I do remember that I first saw the map on an SGL thread, probably within the last 12 months. The author may spot this thread and chip in.

I've just done a conventional internet search and drawn a blank, but a reverse image search highlighted a few web sites that host that same image. Probably the most credible is the CPRE Dark Sky Diary (a good site to browse on this topic in any case). This blog credits the authorship of the map to the Commission for Dark Skies, and that wouldn't surprise me, except that I can't find the image on the CfDS site.

[Leo S]

1 hour ago, knobby said:

If you have the time and patience, before your final choice, see if you can find an AirBnB to stay at nearby for a few nights.

Thanks for the tip.

We were thinking of finding a BnB for the night if we had any viewings anyway, but any particular reason to go for AirBnB vs "ordinary BnB"?

[Craney]

Look for neighbouring properties that may overlook your observing space.

2 reasons...  firstly it will restrict your horizons... and secondly the random turning on and off of lights disrupts vision and photo sequences.

( you will obviously be be a source of fascination for everyday folk as well...)

Look for trees that may become an issue.

I had three in a neighbours garden.... 2 leylandii  which were chopped ( Yay!!!)   but the remaining beech has now shot up by 20 ft (boooo!!!!)

[knobby]

3 hours ago, Leo S said:

Thanks for the tip.

We were thinking of finding a BnB for the night if we had any viewings anyway, but any particular reason to go for AirBnB vs "ordinary BnB"?

No reason, it's just the app I chose to use a few times.

[Leo S]

16 hours ago, Craney said:

Look for neighbouring properties that may overlook your observing space.

2 reasons...  firstly it will restrict your horizons... and secondly the random turning on and off of lights disrupts vision and photo sequences.

( you will obviously be be a source of fascination for everyday folk as well...)

Look for trees that may become an issue.

I had three in a neighbours garden.... 2 leylandii  which were chopped ( Yay!!!)   but the remaining beech has now shot up by 20 ft (boooo!!!!)

Thanks for the tips. Yes, have been checking any prospective properties using Google maps satellite view to get an idea of what is on neighboring properties, and especially to check for large trees that could get in the way. I'll be sure to double check if there are any preservation orders on trees before making offers. Ideally looking for a property where any large nearby trees are actually on the property (rather than on the neighboring property). Although I'm a big fan of trees in general, I also have a chainsaw and am not afraid to use it!

Edited September 29, 2023 by Leo S

[DaveS]

If you look on the graphic at the top of the thread you'll see a tiny white enclave on the south west coast between Weymouth and Bridport.

It's where I moved to, look up the Bride Valley.