GMOS Perfect Spiral

What are Dark Skies?

Scotland has some of the largest areas of dark sky in Europe. Dark skies are found in rural areas that are free of urban light pollution. From a city centre location we might see fewer than 100 stars with our naked eyes. Under a dark sky we can see over 1,000 stars. We can even see our own galaxy, The Milky Way, stretching across the sky.

Light Pollution United Kingdom Light Pollution Europe

(Picture Credit: www.cpre.org.uk)

The dark areas on these maps have less light pollution showing how special Scotland’s dark skies are.

Some good websites on dark skies are:

The Campaign for Dark Skies
British Astronomical Association
Campaign for the Protection of Rural England
Globe at Night Project

Philip’s publishes a Dark Sky Map of Britain and Ireland.