Discover Aberdeenshire’s Dark Skies & Star Bathing
20 November 2024
The hours of sunshine may dip during the shorter days, but the good news is we can all still go star bathing! Every year as the clocks go back the night sky gets into its stride, revealing its many wonders.
What is more, Aberdeenshire has some of the UK’s darkest skies, making the view even more of a revelation.
But after awestruck wonder another thought creeps in. There are so many stars it’s overwhelming. How do you make sense of it all?
So if you are lost in space let me take you by the hand and offer a few pointers!
- Almost every point of light you can see is a star, which is another word for a sun, like our own. They look tiny because they are so far away.
- Look directly overhead during evenings pre Christmas and you'll see a band of light stretching across the sky, brighter in parts than others. This is the Milky Way, the edge on view we get of our own galaxy. To spot it choose a moonless night.
- Not all the “stars” are what they seem! The bright yellow “star” 30 degrees above the southern horizon at 10pm in October is in fact Saturn. As the months progress it hits that point earlier in the evening. This amazing planet is at its best in nearly a decade. To see those stunning rings you are going to need a telescope.
- Talking of planets, as we head through November and into the New Year, a truly brilliant object dominates the sky. This is dazzling Jupiter! Just to the east you’ll see a bright red “star”. This is Mars. Watch it swell in brightness on its way to a close encounter with the Earth in January.
Are you still with me? You’re doing well!
- With our ultra dark skies we see loads of shooting stars. Sometimes they come along in meteor showers. The best ones to look for are the Geminids (13/14 December). We’ll see them before and after these peaks. Just use your naked eye, look high in the south east, and wrap up warm. Mulled wine is optional.
So don’t forget, take time to look up again and fall in love with the night sky.
And as a parting thought, you can do your bit to preserve them by using external lights carefully, pointing them down and switching them off when not needed.
Happy viewing!