During Dark Skies Week we hope to encourage you to take part in or- ganised events or to just star gaze from your back d
2018 Year of our Island 2018 is a year to celebrate our Island and our connection to it, to celebrating the vast amount of things we have to see and do, the places we have to explore and the events for everyone take part in. It is about celebrating our UNESCO Biosphere status and to get involved more and give our time and efforts into maintaining and enhancing our environment and our community. 2018 will bring a range of events and opportunities for us to value our environment, our culture, our heritage and our community, and to remind ourselves how these enhance our quality of life and our health and well-being.
Dark Skies Week One of the things that makes our Island a special place to live is our unique dark skies environment, with an incredible 26 official dark skies discovery sites across our Island. Discovery sites are places that:
YOUR GUIDE TO OUR DARK SKIES A guide to stargazing with some fun activities and trivia for all the family
are away from the worst of any local light pollution provide good sightlines of the sky have good public access, including firm ground for wheelchairs. The sites are generally freely accessible at all times
All of our dark skies sites are classed as ‘Milky Way’ sites—this means not only can you see the seven main stars in the winter constellation Orion, but the Milky Way is visible to the naked eye. During Dark Skies Week we hope to encourage you to take part in organised events or to just star gaze from your back door step and to take part in a community star count.
Hints and Tips for Stargazing Hints and Tips for Stargazing Stargazing doesn’t have to be complicated or difficult. Old or young star Stargazing haveexperience. to be complicated or difficult—here’s gazing can bedoesn’t a magical Here some of our hints andsome tips for of our hints and tips for enjoying this relaxing and rewarding activity. enjoying this relaxing and rewarding activity. Where? Where? You can start somewhere as easy as your back door step or garden. You can start somewhere as easy as your back door step or Yougarden. could check out one of our dark skies discovery sites (see map opposite) You could also check out one of our dark skies discovery Or sites—or you could try a a little little closer closer to to home— home— Local local parks, start parks, playing playing fields or plantation car parkscar can all be good places visit. to visit. fields or plantation parks can all be goodtoplaces Stay safe, be be careful of places withwith hazards such as traffic, uneven Stay Safe, careful of places hazards such as traffic, terrain or steep drops. Make sure to follow any about litter/ uneven terrain or steep drops. Make sure to rules follow any rules trespassing/use of paths. about litter/trespassing/use of paths. When is the best time to see thethe stars? When is the best time to see stars? TheThe stars should be be visible about an an hour and a half after sunset stars should visible about hour and a half after sunset The best time for viewing is when the moon is not in the sky, and notime clouds. there Theare best for viewing is when the Moon is not in the sky, and there are no clouds. During a new moon (crescent moon) when the moon is not too bright During a new moon (crescent moon) when the moon is not too bright What should you take? What should you take? Wrap up warm. It’s often cold when the sky is clear Wrap up warm. It’s often cold when the sky is clear Use star charts to see how many constellations you can find Use star charts to see how many constellations you can find. Warm drink of choice to stave off the cold Warm drink of choice to stave off the cold. Blankets or something to sit on Blankets or something to sit on A torch! A torch!
Winter Sky Constellations from darkskydiscovery.org.uk DID YOU KNOW? The North Star or Polaris – is located nearly at the north celestial pole, the point around which the entire northern sky turns. Polaris marks the way due north. As you face Polaris stretch your arms sideways, your right hand points due east, and your left hand points due west. Polaris is not the brightest star in the night sky, as is commonly believed. It’s only about 50th brightest. But you can find it easily.
Spring Sky Constellations from darkskydiscovery.org.uk DID YOU KNOW: Sirius appears to twinkle or shimmer more than other stars because it is very bright, and it is being distorted by our atmosphere when it is low on the horizon. The lower towards the horizon you look, the thicker our atmosphere is. The higher you look, the thinner the atmosphere. This is also the cause of colourful sunrise and sunsets.
Summer Sky Constellations from darkskydiscovery.org.uk What constellations can you see in the sky during summer? Try looking for these looking north, and south and see if you can spot them all.
Autumn Sky Constellations from darkskydiscovery.org.uk What constellations can you see in the sky during autumn? Try looking for these looking north and south and see if you can spot them all.
What to look for in 2018 It’s not just the stars that you can enjoy in our dark skies, meteor showers and moon events add an extra special element. Here are some of the other events you can mark on your calendar
22/23 April 2018—Lyrid Meteor Shower
The Lyrid Meteor Shower is usually active between April 16 and 25 every year. It tends to peak around April 22 or 23. The best time to see shooting stars from the Lyrids is after nightfall and before dawn, weather permitting. The Lyrids are created by debris from comet Thatcher, which takes about 415 years to orbit around the sun. Astronomers suggest looking up towards the east to see shooting stars from the Lyrids
6 May 2018—Eta Aquarid meteor shower
The Eta Aquarid meteor shower is usually active between April 19 and May 28 every year. In 2018, it will peak on May 6. The best time to see shooting stars from the Eta Aquarid meteor shower is in the early morning, just before dawn. The Eta Aquarids seem to radiate from the direction of the constellation Aquarius in the sky. The shower is named after the brightest star of the constellation, Eta Aquarii. You can be anywhere in the world and see the Eta Aquarids meteor shower.
27/28 July 2018—Total Lunar Eclipse (blood moon)
Lunar eclipses occur when Earth's shadow blocks the sun's light, which otherwise reflects off the moon. There are three types — total, partial and penumbral — with the most dramatic being a total lunar eclipse, in which Earth's shadow completely covers the moon Estimated viewing from 21:21 until 22:13 on 27 July.
What to look for in 2018 12/13 August 2018—Perseid meteor shower
The Perseid meteor shower occurs every year between July 17 and August 24. The shower tends to peak around August 9-13. At its peak, you can see 60 to 100 meteors in an hour from a dark place. The best time to view the Perseids is when the sky is the darkest, depending on the moon’s phase, this could be just before dawn. Made of tiny space debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle, the Perseids are named after the constellation Perseus. This is because the direction, or radiant, from which the shower seems to come in the sky lies in the same direction as the constellation Perseus.
8/9 October 2018—Draconid meteor shower The 2018 Draconid meteor shower is expected to reach its peak on October 8. A new Moon will allow viewers to easily see the shooting stars. Estimated best viewing time between 22:00 on the 8 October and 06:00 on 9 October. The Draconids owe their name to the constellation Draco the Dragon, and are created when the Earth passes through the dust debris left by comet 21 P/ Giacobini-Zinner. The comet takes about 6.6 years to make a single revolution around the Sun.
21/22 October 2018—Orionid meteor shower
The Orionid meteor shower will be visible from October 2 to November 7. The shower is expected to peak on the night of October 21 and early morning of October 22. The Orionid meteor shower is one of two meteor showers created by debris from Comet Halley. The Eta Aquarids in May is the second meteor shower created by debris left by Comet Halley. At its peak, you can see up to 20 meteors every hour.
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What are you seeing in the night sky?
What is a star? Stars are big balls of gas. They are like giant nuclear reactors converting hydrogen gas in to helium and other elements, releasing huge amounts of energy in the process. The nearest star to the Earth is the sun.
What is a constellation? A constellation is a group of stars. There are 88 official constellations and 40 are named after animals, such as the fox, eagle, crow and even a fly!
What is a planet? A planet is an object that orbits a star and must be big enough to form a spherical shape and clear away other smaller objects in its orbit. aw o dr t s d ack ur ki to t r k yo t s h a g i ry— ry n n dia on eve o o s. m mo pa hase the p f n Kee o e moo ctur the a pi
Paint a stargazing box—using an empty box, paint stars and constellations on the inside and out, and use this as a quick-grab box for stargazing. Keep your blankets, torches and constellation maps in here!
The International Space Station Watch the International Space Station pass overhead. It is the third brightest object in the sky and easy to spot if you know when to look up. Visible to the naked eye, it looks like a fast-moving plane only much higher and traveling thousands of miles an hour faster! Visit https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/ to see when it’s next passing over.
Useful sites and resources Dark Skies site information and resources— http://www.darkskydiscovery.org.uk/ Aurora Watch UK - https://aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk/ Moon phases—https://moonphases.co.uk/ Sunrise and Sunset times—https://www.timeanddate.com/ sun/isle-of-man/douglas Isle of Man Astronomical Society— Or why not become a member of the IoMAS— http://www.iomastronomy.org/
Apps Don’t forget you can always get some handy apps on your phone to use anywhere at any time to help with your stargazing including:
SkyView Lite
Nasa
Moon phases
ISS Tracker
