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Braemar Castle Car Park

Braemar Castle Car Park

Braemar, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5XR, Scotland

Best time to visit

Braemar Castle Car Park offers accessible stargazing in the Cairngorms, with dark skies ideal for viewing constellations and the Milky Way.

Braemar Castle 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

  • 26/04/26

    15° 7%

  • 26/04/26

    15° 50%

  • 26/04/26

    13° 43%

  • 27/04/26

    9° 2%

Weather forecast for Braemar (0.5 miles away) updated 26/04/26 at 12:01. Powered by Met Office data.

Local light pollution

Braemar Castle Car Park 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.

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

Light pollution map of Braemar Castle 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 26th Apr

Sun 26th Apr

Waxing Gibbous
70 % illuminated
NO DARKNESS
Moon phase on Mon 27th Apr

Mon 27th Apr

Waxing Gibbous
79 % illuminated
NO DARKNESS
Moon phase on Tue 28th Apr

Tue 28th Apr

Waxing Gibbous
87 % illuminated
NO DARKNESS
Moon phase on Wed 29th Apr

Wed 29th Apr

Waxing Gibbous
93 % illuminated
NO DARKNESS
Moon phase on Thu 30th Apr

Thu 30th Apr

Full Moon
97 % illuminated
NO DARKNESS
Moon phase on Fri 1st May

Fri 1st May

Full Moon
100 % illuminated
NO DARKNESS
Moon phase on Sat 2nd May

Sat 2nd May

Full Moon
100 % illuminated
Dark from 21:51 to 21:53
Dark for 0h 1m

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

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Stay and gaze nearby

Stay at one of these stargazing-friendly accommodation providers.

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    Glen Gairn, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5XL (11.6 miles away)

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