Learn about the winter sky at Mossdale Village Hall

Join the Glenkens Community Spaces Network at Mossdale Village Hall on 17th February for a fascinating presentation on The Winter Sky given by Alistair Scobie, a Trustee of the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory.

• Learn about how deep sky astronomical images are made and what to look out for in our night skies in February.

• Hear an update about the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory plans and progress.

• Take part in our citizen science project to understand how light pollution affects our view of the night sky.

• Bring your binoculars to make the most of the marvellous dark skies in Mossdale with an outdoor observing session - weather permitting!

This event is the first in an exciting series of talks funded through the Galloway Glens Legacy Project, aimed at empowering Glenkens residents to learn and understand more about our wonderful environment, and take part in wider projects to better understand or protect it.

Mossdale enjoys exceptionally dark skies, and is situated at the edge of the Galloway Dark Skies Park, a Gold Tier Dark Skies reserve where on a clear night, more than 7000 stars and planets can be seen with the naked eye.

Our speaker, Alistair Scobie, is a retired Project/Process Engineer who spent 35 years working for ICI and DuPont, who more recently became interested in astrophotography alongside longstanding interests in science, mineralogy, photography and outdoor activities such as hill walking, as he articulates:

"My astrophotography hobby developed out of initial attempts to take photographs of the night sky with my wildlife camera. I have found this endeavour very rewarding as it has been a challenging integration of my science, engineering and photography interests.

I am very excited to have recently become a member of the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory team.

Getting people, especially the younger generation interested in science and engineering really motivates me, and I believe the New Observatory at Clatteringshaws will be a great vehicle for this."

All are welcome to this free event. Don’t forget your binoculars, and please bring warm clothing for the observation session, should the skies be clear.

Free admission, donations to Mossdale Village Hall and the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory invited. Hot drinks available for a small fee.

With thanks to the Galloway Glens Legacy Project for making this event possible.