Overnight stargazing on Orford Ness
Saturday 30th May 2026 from 17:00pm to Sunday 31st May 2026 12:00pm
Orford Ness National Nature Reserve
Quay Street, Orford, Suffolk, IP12 2NU, East of England
Orford Ness offers some truly wonderful views of the night skies, affected only by the ports of Felixstowe to the South and Rotterdam faintly in the East.
The night will be run by experienced amateur astronomers who are also members of the Norwich Astronomical Society. Bring your own scope, binoculars, telescopes or use equipment provided by Chris to identify stars and planets in our sky.
Targets will include galaxies, open clusters, double Stars, globular clusters and planetary nebulae, and with moonrise at around midnight, we might be able to get views of the waning moon, too!
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.
Sat 30th May
Sun 31st May
Local light pollution
Orford Ness National Nature Reserve is estimated to have light pollution levels similar to a rural location based on the latest data from the VIIRS satellite. For more advanced light pollution data, view this location on DarkSkySites.
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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.
Forthcoming events
Below is a list of events at Orford Ness National Nature Reserve. View these events on our calendar, add them to your calendar or Google Calendar.
Stay and gaze nearby
Stay at one of these stargazing-friendly accommodation providers.