Page 42 - BBC Sky at Night - September 2017 UK

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Planning a remote observing trip

Practical considerations to get the best observing experience while out in the wilderness

Kielder Forest, Galloway Forest Park, or
Wind exposure, ground stability similar – most of the organisations that look
and skyglow all need to be after these landscapes have published leaflets
factored into your planning which recommend observing sites.
For visits elsewhere light pollution maps are
great for a general overview, but they’re not
necessarily indicative of actual skyglow, the
light pollution domes or individual light
sources you’ll experience at a given location
– especially when it comes to astrophotography.
A site that looks ‘dark’ on a map could still
suffer from any of these. If you can find
‘nightscape’ astrophotos online taken from or
near your planned observing site, these can
sometimes give a rough indication of the
presence and position of any light domes.
We recommend visiting your chosen site
in daylight beforehand if you’re able to. This
will allow you to have a detailed look around
the area and find interesting angles for
astrophotos. Try to go at the same time of
year as when you intend to visit, not least
because changing greenery may dramatically
affect your compositional choices and
obstruct lower parts of the sky.
One of the keys to a successful remote view? All of these things, and more, will need Sometimes a daylight reconnoitre
observing or imaging trip is extensive to be considered before your trip. beforehand just isn’t possible. Instead,
planning. Careful preparation is important Your choice of destination will likely vary you can get a rudimentary impression of a
for safety reasons, but it’s also invaluable in on a number of factors: how much time you location – and see where celestial targets
terms of the more practical requirements of have for travelling, whether you intend to will be in relation to the surrounding
stargazing and astrophotography. Is the camp or visit briefly, the time of year and the topography – using an Ordnance Survey
location exposed to the wind? Is there stable object or phenomenon you want to catch. If Explorer map, online tools such as Google
ground for your telescope? Is it safe and you’re thinking of visiting one of the more Street View and smartphone apps such
legal to get to? Will the landscape block your famous dark-sky locations in the UK – Exmoor, as The Photographer’s Ephemeris.

> more, many of these dark sky areas are places comfortable observing, small refractors also tend
where there are spectacular landscapes and to require a very solid tripod, but sturdy tripods
picturesque towns and villages to explore are usually heavy and cumbersome to carry on
during the daytime. long walks. Alternatively, simply enjoy the
! You don’t even need naked-eye view of the skies on these sorts of
The kit conundrum to camp. With the right trips – which, alongside the occasional meteor,
precautions, you can
One of the major challenges surrounding hike under the stars can often be entertainment just in itself – and if
astrophotography or visual observing as part of a
WILL GATER X 4, STUART MCINTYRE, ISTOCK of your astronomical kit down as much as possible.
hiking or remote camping trip is keeping the weight

Some small refractors are portable enough to be
taken on night hikes and wild camps, but – just
like DSLRs and the fast, wide-angle lenses that
are usually the go-to choice for remote imaging
trips – they’ll need to be very carefully protected
from dirt, the elements and accidental knocks. For

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017