Scottish Dark Sky Observatory

Location description

The SDSO occupies a fantastic hilltop site on the edge of the Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park. Equipped with two large telescopes and running a full program of stargazing events throughout the whole year this location is one of the premier stargazing locations in the UK.

Location event organiser

Scottish Dark Sky Observatory 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.

Location light pollution

This location is estimated to have light pollution levels similar to a dark site setting based on satellite data from CPRE.

When to stargaze at Scottish Dark Sky Observatory

This location's dark site 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.

Forthcoming events at this location