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Stargazing in the UK

It is amazing how much you see in the night sky when it is really dark. 
 
You can observe thousands of stars, far off galaxies, and even see our own galaxy, the Milky Way. 
 
It is possible to find dark skies wherever you live. You just need to get away from bright lighting, like street lights. And hope for good weather, of course! 
 
This image shows a clear night sky with a vast number of stars visible, including a distinct view of the Milky Way stretching across the horizon. The foreground features an open field and some hilly terrain
This work by Nick Rowland is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 4.0 International
Milky Way over South Downs near Eastbourne

 


 

Our monthly calendars help you plan your stargazing activities. 

We have picked out the best places in the UK and Ireland for stargazing. Some of these places have been certified by the International Dark-Sky Association. Certified places have low levels of light pollution and good public access. Many of these places host stargazing events for the public.

A map of Great Britain showing light pollution levels, with bright areas in red representing higher light pollution and darker areas in blue representing lower levels of light pollution.
This work by CPRE, LUC is licensed under Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal
Light pollution in the UK
England
  • Cranborne Chase, Dorset –  Dark enough to see the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy.
  • Exmoor Dark Sky Reserve – Europe’s first International Dark Sky Reserve.
  • North York Moors National Park – A Dark Sky Reserve which contains the Moors National Park Centre, Sutton Bank National Park Centre, and Dalby Observatories.
  • Northumberland Dark Sky Park – Stargazers can also visit the Kielder Observatory.
  • South Downs National Park – Moore’s Dark Sky Reserve in the South Downs is named after astronomer Sir Patrick Moore.
  • Yorkshire Dales National Park –  A Dark Sky Reserve which is home to some of the darkest skies in the country.
Northern Ireland
  • Antrim Coast – The north coast is home to the Giant’s Causeway but also has the darkest night skies on the island of Ireland.
  • Davagh Forest Park and Beaghmore Stone Circles – The Forest offers an observatory and visitor centre, as well as Bronze Age stone circles.
  • Oxford Island National Nature Reserve, Armagh – The Armagh Observatory and Planetarium is nearby.
Republic of Ireland
  • Kerry International Dark Sky Reserve – The area’s location between mountains and the ocean protects it from light pollution.
  • Mayo International Dark Sky Park – On a clear night in Mayo, you can see over 4,500 stars.
Scotland
  • Cairngorms Dark Sky Park – The Glenlivet and Tomintoul area provides the best easy access to dark skies in the Cairngorms.
  • Coll Dark Sky Island – The UK’s first International Dark Sky Park. The island of Coll has no street lights!
  • Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park – The first place to become a Dark Sky Park in the UK. It contains the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory.
  • Moffat, Dumfriesshire – This town made changes to local outdoor lighting policies to ensure great dark skies.
Wales
  • Brecon Beacons Dark Sky Reserve – Home to the first International Dark-Sky Reserve in Wales.
  • Elan Valley Dark Sky Park – 45,000 acres of land protected against light pollution.
  • Snowdonia Dark Sky Reserve – North Wales in naturally one of the darkest places in Britain.

You can also search for observatories and dark skies near you on other websites. Try services like Go Stargazing, Dark Sky, Night Blight or Dark Sky Discovery.

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Stargazing
Night sky