The Rochester Round House is a fantastic stargazing location 45 minutes North-West from Newcastle. It’s location at the very heart of the Northumberland Dark Sky Park means it benefits from amazing dark skies and its proximity to the A68 main road makes it easily accessible. In Summer 2016 a new Stargazing Pavilion was constructed enabling stargazers some respite from the Northumberland weather. Excellent horizons all round especially to the North make this site a great place to spot the Aurora from.
Weather forecast
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20/09/25
10° 81% -
20/09/25
9° 60% -
21/09/25
8° 17% -
21/09/25
6° 8%
Weather forecast for Rochester (northumberland) (0.3 miles away) updated 20/09/25 at 04:02.
Local light pollution
Rochester Roundhouse is estimated to have light pollution levels similar to a 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.
Best time to visit
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.
Sat 20th Sep
Sun 21st Sep
Mon 22nd Sep
Tue 23rd Sep
Wed 24th Sep
Thu 25th Sep
Fri 26th Sep
Find more dates
If you are planning to visit this location check our dark sky calendar to find out when is best!
CalendarEvents nearby
Stay and gaze nearby
Stay at one of these stargazing-friendly accommodation providers.