#XploreMore 2014 - Task 20 - Go stargazing

The Milky Way stretched across the night sky directly overhead - remarkable in appearance and a sight the eyes never tire of. When the sky is so dark and the stars so vivid and vibrant, it is hard to grasp that this wispy band of stars marks the edge of our galaxy… some millions of light years away.

Witnessing a dark night sky like the one I experienced in Devon while staying on the Greenfields CL site near Bideford (a site with no polluting night-lights on pathways or by electricity hook-up points, incidentally) - not just a starry night, but a pitch black, proper night sky - is an awesome and unforgettable experience. The longer you look, the more stars seem to prick through the black spacey blanket - it actually takes your eyes a good few minutes to get accustomed to the darkness. 

Initially I looked for the main constellations first like The Plough (aka the saucepan due to its shape), Pliades (or the Seven Sisters) and of course Orion (The Hunter) who incidentally was lying flat on his back on the horizon on this occasion. Generally, when you scan the night sky you’ll see more stars appear and possibly even a satellite or two (which look like small white dots of light passing across the night sky). It’s also possible to see one or two of the relatively nearby galaxies, such as Andromeda or the Orion Nebula, using binoculars. 

The pinnacle of my star watching on this occasion was seeing a burning meteorite (often called a shooting star) streak across the darkness at about 40 degrees to from the horizon. Of course, as tradition insists, I made a wish upon this shooting star, but I’m sure you understand that I can’t tell you what it was :)

Other stargazing occasions we’ve had whilst caravanning

• On deck on the ferry when travelling from Hull to Rotterdam
• When staying at the Keilder Water site. A dark forest with very dark skies
• Woodborough CL - a quiet site with little light pollution