Where near Perth is a good location from which to use a telescope for astronomy?
john asked:
I got a telescope for Christmas and was wondering if there are any good sites near Perth, where I can the avoid the light pollution to get a good clear view of the sky preferably something easily accessible, as I don’t fancy carrying the telescope to the top of a mountain.
This entry was posted
on Monday, February 15th, 2010 at 12:00 am and is filed under Astronomy & Space.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
I got a telescope for Christmas and was wondering if there are any good sites near Perth, where I can the avoid the light pollution to get a good clear view of the sky preferably something easily accessible, as I don’t fancy carrying the telescope to the top of a mountain.
February 15th, 2010 at 6:30 am
If you buy the latest copy of Sky at Night Magazine, it has a free dark skies map that shows good locations. Avondrow
February 17th, 2010 at 7:28 am
Ah, but which Perth? There are several in different countries: Scotland, Australia, Canada, etc. This is an international forum.
Contact your local astronomical society. They generally know all the best observing spots. Geoff G
February 18th, 2010 at 5:03 pm
I assume from your answers to recent Qs that you are in Perth in Scotland, so you are in luck.
Perth isn’t so big. Nice place actually. I get there sometimes.
Nothing beats a fresh Dunkeld salmon…except a freshly smoked one. Dunkeld is tops for salmon smoking.
And Pitlochrie up the road has an amazing theatre festival I go to. Top quality stuff and beautiful scenery.
Anyway if you head over the river and along Strathmore Street towards New Scone you’ll find a lane leading off to the right just out of town, with easy access to fields and away from the glare of the motorway lights in the south. It’s not far away from the town lights but it’s OK.The sky is not so bad there just off the road but it gets better if you go along the lane a bit.
A few minutes on a bicycle from the centre of Perth.
I quite often put a six-inch refractor and a long tripod on a bike along the top tube, wrapped in a sleeping bag which comes in handy at times on cold nights, and a smaller telescope in a rucksac, and a stove and food, cameras, star maps etc in a box on the back,and head off to a local pond and park which is a couple of miles away and which has strong solidly built picnic tables. The tables are great for an easy time with star maps, camping stove for fresh hot drinks and fresh egg and bacon sarnies to keep warm (observing doesn’t mean starving or being a matyr to astronomy) and for a small motor-driven camera mount I made for long exposures which sits firmy on another heavy picnic table twenty yards away and whirrs quietly while I get on with observing..I’ve even marked the table with points for the tripod legs to make setting up easy every time. The table is well bedded in now, doesn’t move.
Another route option is the A9 heading north or get along the river.
South are the motorway lights…right nuisance for astronomy.
You’ll get a decreasing view of the northern and north-western sky when you get near the hills but the light is OK not far from town and there are loads of little tracks you can cycle along and hide in to get off the main road.
Too far from you for an evening ride but with a decent train service through to Stirling are the glorious Ochil Hills which have wonderful dark skies. I’ve camped out a few times there. Menstrie glen is OK but the hills mean the horizon is high though it does save some climbing. The views are magnificent from the tops and the very low horizon makes for a breathtaking sky at night as well… I’ve been up there twice at New Moon to see the thin crescent setting and enjoy the dark skies and one day I’ll see them under a full moon but that’s no good for astronomy.
Don’t worry about the ghost stories..the Ochils are full of them…stories, not ghosts,.haha.
A bit on here about it…love the Ochils . . . . .
Best of luck. Happy watching. jonal