Telescopes for beginners | free mobile app

West Ilsley Ridgeway Car Park

West Ilsley Ridgeway Car Park

Bury Lane, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0PH, South East England

Best time to visit

Escape the bright lights of Didcot and enjoy views of starry skies at this Ridgeway Car Park. We recommend using What3Words to find this location.

West Ilsley Ridgeway Car Park is a Go Stargazing Site. The location has been identified by the Go Stargazing team as a good location for stargazing based on local light pollution levels, distance from nearby towns and cities and offers a safe place to park.

Weather forecast

  • 23/03/25

    12° 79%

  • 23/03/25

    10° 47%

  • 24/03/25

    8° 13%

  • 24/03/25

    7° 13%

Weather forecast for West Ginge (2.7 miles away) updated 23/03/25 at 04:02.

Local light pollution

West Ilsley Ridgeway Car Park is estimated to have light pollution levels similar to asemi-rural semi-rural location based on the latest data from the VIIRS satellite.

The above demonstrates the estimated effect of light pollution - graphics created using Stellarium.

Light pollution map of West Ilsley Ridgeway Car Park

Best time to visit

The Moon has a big impact on the visibility of celestial bodies in the night sky. Try to plan your stargazing when there is no bright Moon at night as this is when the skies will be at their darkest.

The below chart shows when the skies will be at their darkest at this location and therefore the best time to visit. Moonlight is shown in light yellow and the Sun's twilight in light blue. Midnight on the date shown is shown as a white line with sunset to the left and sunrise the next morning to the right. A black background with stars shows the best times for stargazing. See our dark sky calendar for more details.

Moon phase on Sun 23rd Mar

Sun 23rd Mar

Third Quarter
45 % illuminated
Dark from 19:36 to 04:17
Dark for 8h 40m
Moon phase on Mon 24th Mar

Mon 24th Mar

Third Quarter
35 % illuminated
Dark from 19:38 to 04:42
Dark for 9h 3m
Moon phase on Tue 25th Mar

Tue 25th Mar

Waning Crescent
25 % illuminated
Dark from 19:40 to 04:39
Dark for 8h 58m
Moon phase on Wed 26th Mar

Wed 26th Mar

Waning Crescent
16 % illuminated
Dark from 19:42 to 04:37
Dark for 8h 54m
Moon phase on Thu 27th Mar

Thu 27th Mar

Waning Crescent
9 % illuminated
Dark from 19:43 to 04:34
Dark for 8h 50m
Moon phase on Fri 28th Mar

Fri 28th Mar

New Moon
3 % illuminated
Dark from 19:45 to 04:32
Dark for 8h 46m
Moon phase on Sat 29th Mar

Sat 29th Mar

New Moon
0 % illuminated
Dark from 19:47 to 04:29
Dark for 8h 41m

Find more dates

If you are planning to visit this location check our dark sky calendar to find out when is best!

Calendar

Events nearby

Display nearby events on a calendar

  • Abingdon Astronomical Society meeting and observing

    Monday 24th March 2025 from 20:00pm to 22:00pm

    All Saint's Methodist Church Hall - Abingdon, Abingdon, OX14 2AQ (9.0 miles away)

    More info

  • Practical Astronomy with Basingstoke Astronomical Society

    Thursday 27th March 2025 from 19:00pm to 21:00pm

    Cliddesden Primary School, Basingstoke, RG25 2QU (24.2 miles away)

    More info

  • Little Acorns Starry Skies

    Friday 28th March 2025 from 17:30pm to 19:00pm

    Earth Centre - Wittenham Clumps, Didcot, OX14 4QZ (7.4 miles away)

    More info

  • Reading Astronomical Society Friday Club for Beginners

    Friday 28th March 2025 from 19:30pm to 21:30pm

    1st Wokingham Scout Hut, Wokingham, RG41 4DX (22.4 miles away)

    More info

  • Friends of the Marlborough Telescope observing session

    Friday 28th March 2025 from 20:30pm to 22:30pm

    Blackett Observatory, Marlborough, SN8 1PA (20.6 miles away)

    More info

Stay and gaze nearby

Stay at one of these stargazing-friendly accommodation providers.

  • Wild Camping Wiltshire

    Dark Lane, Marlborough, Wiltshire, SN8 3FZ, South West England (19.8 miles away)

    Stay & Gaze

    More info