Nightskyhunter: Introduction to the Night Sky
Friday 5th September 2025 from 19:30pm to 21:30pm
Divis and Black Mountain National Trust Car Park
Divis Road, Belfast, County Antrim, BT17 0NG
Join us for an evening under the stars! Expert astronomer Martin McKenna (Nightskyhunter) will give a presentation on basic constellations, bright stars, planets on view, and a chance to learn how to use telescopes & binoculars for star-gazing.
The evening will begin with a presentation covering a round up of stars, constellations and planets on view for September and the upcoming aurora season, alongside some exciting upcoming astronomical events.
After the presentation we will then head out into the lower car-park (a known dark-sky spot) and learn how to use binoculars and telescopes to observe the night sky.
Please note this event is weather dependant – if we are unable to complete the outdoor segment of the evening, we will finish up after the presentation.
Event organiser
National Trust is organising this event
Please contact National Trust directly for more details regarding this event or, if appropriate, contact the event venue.
Email: [email protected]
Website: National Trust
Twitter: @nationaltrust
Facebook: National Trust
Event booking
For full details on how to attend this event, including how to book, please see the event's official website.
Visit event websiteEvent darkness
The below chart shows if and when the skies will be at their darkest during this event. 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.
Fri 5th Sep
Local light pollution
Divis and Black Mountain National Trust Car Park is estimated to have light pollution levels similar to a semi-rural location based on the latest data from the VIIRS satellite.
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Urban
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Suburban
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Semi-rural
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Rural
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Dark site
The above demonstrates the estimated effect of light pollution - graphics created using Stellarium.
Light pollution map of Divis and Black Mountain National Trust Car Park
Forthcoming events
Below is a list of events at Divis and Black Mountain National Trust Car Park. View these events on our calendar, add them to your calendar or Google Calendar.
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