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Spelga Reservoir South Car Park

Spelga Reservoir South Car Park

B27 Moyad Road, Kilkeel, County Down, BT34

Best time to visit

This remote car park location near the South shore of Spelga Reservoir benefits from great scenery and dark skies.

Spelga Reservoir South 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

  • 20/09/25

    9° 15%

  • 20/09/25

    8° 12%

  • 21/09/25

    7° 6%

  • 21/09/25

    5° 2%

Weather forecast for Spelga Dam (0.6 miles away) updated 20/09/25 at 04:02.

Local light pollution

Spelga Reservoir South Car Park is estimated to have light pollution levels similar to a dark site 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 Spelga Reservoir South 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 Sat 20th Sep

Sat 20th Sep

New Moon
3 % illuminated
Dark from 19:45 to 04:51
Dark for 9h 5m
Moon phase on Sun 21st Sep

Sun 21st Sep

New Moon
1 % illuminated
Dark from 19:43 to 04:53
Dark for 9h 9m
Moon phase on Mon 22nd Sep

Mon 22nd Sep

New Moon
0 % illuminated
Dark from 19:40 to 04:55
Dark for 9h 14m
Moon phase on Tue 23rd Sep

Tue 23rd Sep

New Moon
1 % illuminated
Dark from 19:37 to 04:56
Dark for 9h 18m
Moon phase on Wed 24th Sep

Wed 24th Sep

Waxing Crescent
4 % illuminated
Dark from 19:35 to 04:58
Dark for 9h 22m
Moon phase on Thu 25th Sep

Thu 25th Sep

Waxing Crescent
9 % illuminated
Dark from 19:32 to 05:00
Dark for 9h 27m
Moon phase on Fri 26th Sep

Fri 26th Sep

Waxing Crescent
16 % illuminated
Dark from 19:30 to 05:02
Dark for 9h 31m

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

  • Stargazing evening at Armagh Planetarium

    Friday 31st October 2025 from 18:45pm to 21:00pm

    Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, Armagh, BT61 9DB (27.2 miles away)

    More info

  • Stargazing evening at Armagh Planetarium

    Friday 28th November 2025 from 18:45pm to 21:00pm

    Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, Armagh, BT61 9DB (27.2 miles away)

    More info

  • Stargazing evening at Armagh Planetarium

    Thursday 11th December 2025 from 18:45pm to 21:00pm

    Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, Armagh, BT61 9DB (27.2 miles away)

    More info

  • Stargazing evening at Armagh Planetarium

    Tuesday 16th December 2025 from 18:45pm to 21:00pm

    Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, Armagh, BT61 9DB (27.2 miles away)

    More info

  • Stargazing evening at Armagh Planetarium

    Friday 23rd January 2026 from 18:45pm to 21:00pm

    Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, Armagh, BT61 9DB (27.2 miles away)

    More info

Stay and gaze nearby

Stay at one of these stargazing-friendly accommodation providers.

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