For centuries, humans have looked up in awe at the twinkling, star-studded universe visible above their heads. During in the last century, however, as increasing numbers of us live in towns and cities, much of this natural spectacle has been lost behind the sodium-tinged glare from our streetlights and buildings.
Yet Scotland still has some of the darkest skies in Europe — and that’s official! Back in 2009, the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) classified Galloway Forest Park as the world’s fourth — and the UK’s first — Dark Sky Park, “a location of exceptional nighttime beauty, dark skies education, and preservation of the nighttime environment.”
Since the award, the three hundred square miles of rugged wilderness in Dumfries and Galloway has proved a magnet for not just keen amateur astronomers but anyone curious about what can be seen above their heads. In 2012, Galloway became the only IDA-recognised “gold tier” park which includes a public use observatory, following the opening of the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory at Craigengillan.
Meantime, in January 2014, the island of Coll in the Inner Hebrides officially celebrated becoming the second IDA-recognised Dark Sky Community in the British Isles. This was in part down to the islanders’ “exceptional dedication” to preserving the night sky, according to amateur astronomer Olvin Smith, a member of a four-person action group which made the application.
As part of its accreditation process, the IDA uses the Sky Quality Meter (SQM) scale, which runs from 0 to 25; the centre of Edinburgh or Glasgow would read around 8 while a photographer’s darkroom would be nearer 24. Olvin used a specially purchased Unihedron meter to complete a light survey around the island. “On several sites I got readings of 21.9 which make our skies some of the darkest in Europe,” Olvin says proudly. Certainly, they were on a par with Galloway Forest Park, which has recorded SQM readings of between 21 and 23.6.
Dark Sky classification isn’t simply about removing all sources of artificial light, however; it’s about controlling what light sources there are, both now and in the future. Vital to the success of Coll’s bid was the involvement of the whole community. “We had to alter some of the lights to make them point straight down, get commitments from some people to change their outside lights to the correct type, and we also needed to get the Council to endorse our Lighting Plan,” Olvin says.
“It’s been very much a ‘ground up’ affair. We are the only place to achieve an Award where the community has done all the work without any outside funding; the money and work came from islanders,” he adds proudly.
Not that you necessarily have to travel to Galloway or Coll. Growing numbers of local communities across Scotland are switching to LED street lights; not only are these more energy efficient, they also cause less upward light pollution, meaning that many more of us can once again appreciate the natural wonder above our heads.
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STARTING OUT
Dark skies and a massive telescope aren’t vital when you’re starting out exploring the night sky, according to the Secretary of The Astronomical Society of Edinburgh, Horst Meyerdierks. “At any time the Moon can be a very rewarding object for beginners, even with binoculars,” he says. “It depends on the time of the month, but the light/dark boundary (what is called the ‘terminator’) is usually the most interesting area to study, while the half or crescent phases are more interesting than the Full Moon.”
In part that’s because a Full Moon is generally so bright that it can make it difficult to see not just lunar surface details but also any other objects in the night sky around it — not all light pollution is humanity’s fault!
Horst points out that, with a reasonably good telescope, you can also see many of the other planets in our solar system, even from our somewhat light-polluted cities. Come December, for example, the gas giant Jupiter — the largest planet in our solar system — should be visible from the late evening.
Don’t feel you need to rush out and buy a telescope. “Even in the Dark Skies, there are objects best viewed with binoculars,” he explains. “The Andromeda Galaxy is the furthest you can see with the naked eye — 2.5 million light years away. With a telescope you see only parts of it; with binoculars you see the whole of it. Astronomy is often a question of matching an object with the most appropriate instrument.”
With astronomy groups and societies operating across Scotland, finding fellow enthusiasts shouldn’t prove difficult: the Astronomical Society of Edinburgh, for example, organises lectures which the public can attend, in addition to members-only observing and imaging groups. The society’s website also includes links to other astronomy groups across Scotland.
MORE:
Astronomical Society of Edinburgh
Scottish Dark Sky Observatory:
01292 551118
Article first published in The Scots Magazine, December 2014.
