Discover Kintyre's Dark Skies

[Delphinus_Dreams]

It's great isn't it! I'm right by Kennacraig, just walked the dogs, 1 mile blizzard conditions, both black dogs turned white!
Then glorious sunshine for an hour until we decided to head back and was blown back down the hill in another mini blizzard
I love it here!
I'm going to defrost before I pop back out to try and glimpse the Comet.

[stargazer]

Comet Panstarrs caught on camera by our guest speaker Douglas Cooper on Friday 15th March
http://www.westkintyrestargazers.org/as ... ooper.html

[Bonnie Lass]

spotted it at 6.23pm, managed to get a photo of it on my compact camera but image is far too grainy - it was at maximum focus.

[stargazer]

SUNDAY 7TH APRIL 2013 @ THE PUTECHAN FROM 5PM

PROF. MARTIN A. HENDRY : EXPLORING THE DARK SIDE OF THE UNIVERSE

We live in an extraordinary cosmos. Less than 100 years after Edwin Hubble discovered that our Universe is expanding, observations of distant supernovae and the afterglow of the Big Bang itself have revealed that the cosmic expansion is speeding up - driven by a mysterious 'dark energy', the precise nature of which is one of the biggest puzzles in science.
In this lecture, join University of Glasgow astronomer Martin Hendry on a whistle-stop tour through thirteen billion years of cosmic history: exploding stars, colliding black holes, dark matter, dark energy and the very latest theories for the origin and fate of the Universe.
To book your place or nominate your favorite stargazing location click on link below:
http://www.westkintyrestargazers.org/ev ... -form.html

http://www.westkintyrestargazers.org

[stargazer]

Celebrate the Solstice Full Moon at Ballochroy with Duncan Lunan
Science writer Duncan Lunan, the creator of the first astronomically aligned stone circle for at least 3000 years, at Sighthill Park in Glasgow, returns to West Kintyre on Sunday 23rd June. Weather permitting, the meeting will be at the Ballochroy standing stones to witness the midsummer sunset, which will be seen on Ben Corra, Jura, at a distance of 19 miles, and may be glimpsed again to the right of the mountain as it descends.
At the same time the Full Moon will rise and in June it will be a ‘supermoon’, appearing more than usually large on the horizon because it is at its closest to the Earth.
Expanding on his last talk, based on the historical section of his book “The Stones and the Stars, Building Scotland’s Newest Megalith”, before sunset Duncan will talk about ancient astronomy around the world, as well as in Scotland, and will report on the campaign to save the Sighthill circle from demolition.
Further details can be found at:
www.westkintyrestargazers.org

[stargazer]

***Solstice Full Moon Talk at Ballochroy - Cancelled due to ferry disruptions***

[stargazer]

Sunday 30th June The Putechan 5pm

Dark Skies in Kintyre: Astronomy Tourism and Protecting the Sky

Astronomer, author, and dark skies consultant Steve Owens presents an astronomy talk giving insights into dark sky astrotourism, and how that might benefit rural communities. Steve is a professional science communicator, was manager of the Glasgow planetarium, the UK manager for the International Year of Astronomy 2009, and is now a freelancer helping communities set up internationally accredited dark sky parks all around the world. He was instrumental in gaining dark sky status for Galloway Forest Park in the SW of Scotland, Sark in the Channel Islands, and Exmoor National Park in England, and is currently working with ten other sites around the UK and overseas on their dark sky applications. He is chair of the International Dark-sky Association's Development Committee, and the author of the newly-released "Stargazing for Dummies"

Door Fees
Members £2.50
Non members £5.00
Buffet(additional) £5.00

Please book your place here;
http://www.westkintyrestargazers.org/ev ... -form.html