The Dark Sky Park
Rascarrel Bay is lucky enough to be situated within an hours drive of the first Dark Sky Park in Europe, The Galloway Forest Park. In fact there is very little in the way of light pollution in our region and on clear nights you are sure to be able to see thousands of stars.
What is a Dark Sky Park?
A Dark Sky Park is a place which has exceptionally dark night skies and where light pollution is controlled to keep the skies dark. The sky above the Galloway Forest Park is really dark apart from the stars.
Viewing Points
There are various good spots in The Galloway Forest Park where you can go stargazing. The nearest points from the Lodges are Clatteringshaws Visitor Centre, The Raiders Road and The Galloway Red Deer range. You can download a copy of the Dark Skies leaflet by clicking here.
The Aurora
Although it is a rare occurrence sometimes we are lucky enough for the Aurora to come down as far as Scotland and our dark skies make it an excellent place to view it. Keep an eye on Aurora Watch UK to find out if there are any aurora warnings for the UK.
Upcoming Events in the Sky
This a small list of meteor showers which happen every year. The Galloway Forest Park also run star gazing events throughout the year and keep their page up to date with the latest things to spot in the night sky so keep an eye on their website for more details: www.forestry.gov.uk/darkskygalloway
Lyrids
April
The Lyrid meteors also known as April's "shooting stars" tend to be bright and often leave trails. You can expect to see about 10 - 20 meteors per hour at it's peak and the Lyrids are also known for their uncommon surges which sometimes bring the rate up to 100 per hour but these outbursts are rare and not easy to predict.
The Meteors will radiate out from the constellation Lyra which rises in the northeast at about 10pm.
Persieds
August
Mid August are typically fast and bright meteors that often leave persistent trains radiating out from a point in the constellation Perseus the Hero. Meteors will appear in all parts of the sky and are considered by many people to be the best meteor shower of the year. You can expect to see around 50 meteors or more per hour at it's peak and typically produce the most meteors in the wee hours before dawn.
Orionids
October
These are fast moving meteors that occasionally leave persistent trains and bright fireballs. They radiate from the Club of the constellation Orion the Hunter north of the star Betelgeuse. At their peak you can expect to see about 15 meteors per hour and are usually best viewed in the wee hours before dawn.
Leonids
November
These meteors radiate out from the constellation Leo the Lion and have given us some of the most spectacular meteor showers known as meteor storms. The number of meteors per hour can vary from just 10-15 per hour to thousands per hour although these events are rare and was last seen in 1966. The best time to view the Leonids is between midnight and Dawn.