Location description
Located at Durlston Country Park is an observatory hosting a large aperture 14" Meade telescope and facilities for talks and presentations with stargazing events run by Wessex Astronomical Society. Note that out of hours access to this location is only available when stargazing events are on.
Location event organiser
Wessex Astronomical Society organises stargazing events at this location.
Dark sky discovery site
Designated as a Dark Sky Discovery Site this location is accessible by members of the public and are officially recognised as excellent places to stargaze. Such locations often have free overnight car parking, some have toilet facilities however rarely allow overnight camping.
Observatory
Location has an observatory that is accessible to the public by prior arrangement or during public events.
Tonight's weather forecast
Location light pollution
This location is estimated to have light pollution levels similar to a semi-rural setting based on satellite data from CPRE.
When to stargaze at Durlston Astronomy Centre
This location's semi-rural setting means it benefits from dark skies depending on the time of the year and lunar cycle. In the calendar below where you can see stars indicates when the skies will be dark and the best time to stargaze. Yellow areas show the adverse effects of daylight (bold) and moonlight (faded). Hover over a day to see darkness times or click on a date for more information.