Long Mynd Dark Sky Discovery Sites

27/03/2026

Can you name the bright star by the arrow? Please put your answer in a comment.

13/11/2025

Comet Lemmon (C/2025 A6) – Your Last Chance to See a Celestial Spectacle
Best place on The Long Mynd: Shooting box has a good low horizon in the direction of the sunset.

Comet Lemmon is still putting on a show, but its best views are fading as it heads back out into the deep reaches of space!
The next few evenings are your best bet! While it's gradually dimming, it's still a beautiful sight.
After sunset, look towards the western sky.
If its really dark you may see it with the naked eye, with binoculars the tail may be visible
A small telescope offers the most detailed views of its glowing coma and impressive tail structure.

The image is AI generated, and exagerates the image somewhat.

15/10/2025

The northern slopes of the Long Mynd by Jinlye, All Stretton should be an excellent vantage point.

Everyone gets excited by a new comet, especially the media, which make you think that all you have to do is nip outside and look up, and you'll see something amazing. Comet Lemmon, currently in UK skies (October 2025), is making news, but even experienced sky-watchers will need a bit of help in find...

20/08/2025

A stay of ex*****on - 10 years.

Great news from the Observatory Science Centre at Herstmonceux, which was threatened with closure. A deal has been reached which guarantees the future of the Observatory Science Centre for a further ten years.
The agreement is between Bader College, which is the UK wing of Queen's University of Canada, which owns Herstmonceux Castle, and Science Projects, the company that owns the science centre. A press release states that 'together Bader College and Science Projects aim to unlock The Observatory Science Centre’s full potential to inspire future generations through science, history, and discovery.'
Abbie Rumbold, Chief Executive of Science Projects, said 'We are looking forward to welcoming visitors to The Observatory Science Centre for many years to come and are so excited about the opportunity to develop fantastic new visitor experiences. Our incredible team is ready to make the next decade and The OSC’s fourth, our most fun yet '

21/07/2025

Perseids are usually spectacular, colours not as obvious as this image. Shooting box on the Long Mynd has a low all round horizon. Don't lose your car keys when lying down in the heather.

Starts getting good from early August for a couple of weeks.

The Perseids are back – and every color tells us what they're made of!

Every summer, Earth drifts through the dusty trail of Comet Swift-Tuttle – and the result is one of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year: the Perseids.

Peaking in mid-August and active right now, this shower can produce up to 75 meteors per hour under dark skies. But here’s what makes them even more amazing: each meteor’s color reveals what it’s made of.

As the meteors blaze through Earth’s atmosphere at over 130,000 mph, they burn up in brilliant flashes of different colors – and those colors reveal what elements are inside:

🔴 Red = Oxygen & Nitrogen
🟡 Yellow-Gold = Iron
🟣 Violet = Calcium
🟠 Orange = Sodium
🔵 Teal/Blue-Green = Magnesium

The Perseids are active from July 17 to August 24, with peak nights around August 12–13. Even with some moonlight, it’s still one of the best times to look up.

Find a dark sky, let your eyes adjust, and enjoy one of the best sights of the year!

06/05/2025

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