Ordnance Survey are organising a nationwide “GetOutside Day” on the 30th September 2018 and what better way of enjoying the natural outdoors than to go stargazing! The skies on this date will be dark until around 23:30pm when a bright moon will rise in the East so if you are planning a day out you might think about the evening too! Check out our location map for ideal places to stargaze and for more details see the official Ordnance Survey National GetOutside Day website…
What can be seen?
Before moon rise the skies from a dark sky site should reveal views of the Milky Way and the planets Saturn and Mars low towards the South. The bright stars of Deneb, Vega and Altair that form the “Summer Triangle” will be near overhead.
The International Space Station will also be visible from the UK with a bright pass at 20:34pm. The image below shows the path it will take across the skies as observed from Darlington, UK — the further South you are in the country the higher in the sky it will appear.
Stargazing events on 30th September 2018