Events & Highlights

The Best Time to Stay

The best time to observe the stars is when the skies are at their clearest and darkest, and the nights are at their longest. This means that the months of late August to mid April provide a better chance to see more and visitors have a longer window each night in which to observe the night sky. Different times of year also offer a different perspective of the sky with some constellations and objects only visible in certain seasons. This means that returning guests will often have new objects and sights to observe.

Moon Phases

The phases of the moon can make a big difference to astronomy. The bright reflective light of a full moon can drown out most of the fainter objects in the night sky so staying when the moon is full should be avoided if possible. The best time for astronomy would be around a new moon when the night is at its darkest, leading to the best conditons for observation. The lead up to the first quater can also be a great time for stargazing, especially with younger childern as the moon will be available and is always a great sight for young minds. As a general rule, avoiding one week either side of the full moon would be best. That's not to say that we can't do astronomy during those times but there may be more of a limit on what can be seen.

Planets

Finding and observing the planets of the Solar System in the night sky isn’t as tricky as you think. You just need to know where to look. When a planet is in a particularly favourable position in the evening or morning sky, it will look like a bright ‘star’, the most obvious point of light visible to the naked eye. Planets are not always viable at all times of the year due to the movement of their orbit agaisnt ours however mid to late 2022 is shaping up to be a great planet season with most of our planets visable.

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Meteor Showers

There are several well known, predictable and sometimes very strong meteor showers during the year. These are a great time to get out into our dark skies and spot the fireballs hurtling through our atmosphere, some of which will also leave trails or trains in the sky. Meteor showers that also coincide with or are close to a new moon are usually the most spectacular. Meteor showers generally last between a few days and a couple of weeks. We have provided the peak shower dates opposite - this is when the amount of meteors should be at its maximum rate. 

Conjunctions and eclipses

From time to time we do get treated to conjunctions and eclipses, both the rare solar and the more common lunar. A conjunction is when two objects in the night sky appear together. This is most often two of our own solar system planets, a combination of a planet and a deep sky object or a combination of a planet and our moon. Although rare, having the opportunity to view two of our closest neighbours together, or seeing a planet disappear behing the the view of our moon, is not to be missed. A lunar eclipse is when the Earth is positioned between the Sun and the Moon, turning the Moon a deep red colour in the night sky. The rarer solar eclipse is when the Moon is positioned between the Sun and the Earth, turning day into an eerie twilight. Eclipses can happen as either a total or a partial eclipse.

Comets

All through the year comets make their way through our solar system, brightening and darkening as they are affected by the Sun. These can be both great visual and astrophotography targets for guests and we aim to provide details of when they might be at their best to see.