West Of London Astronomical Group April 2016
Solar Observing on Patio
Telescopes in Shed
Astronomy Picture of Stars Above Llanerchindda
Telescopes
Below are some videos put together by Martin Lewis, of the West of London Astronomical Society, and taken while visiting us in 2015:
- https://vimeo.com/125089603
- https://vimeo.com/125089604
These show how clear and dark the skies can be above us.
For more information on Martin’s work, have a look at his website http://www.skyinspector.co.uk
Telescope hire
We have teamed up with www.darkskytelescopehire.co.uk to offer a telescope for hire to guests staying with us – and also for local people to come and use by prior arrangement.
Available to all guests staying at Llanerchindda is a 150mm (6-inch) Skywatcher Dobsonian Telescope. It is easy to use and to set up and offers terrific views of the night sky.
The telescope is supplied with comprehensive usage instructions. Regularly updated sky notes are also provided to help you navigate your way around the night sky, and to help you make the most of your Dark Sky Experience.
The telescope is available to hire on a per night and per week basis at a cost of £10 per night, or £30 per week.
The team at Llanerchindda are on hand to advise you as to the best place to set up the telescope in the grounds. They’ll also be able to switch lights off as required.
To book the telescope, please contact Llanerchindda, or you can use the booking form at www.darkskytelescopehire.co.uk/brecon-beacons-dark-sky-experience/
Payment can be made in advance of your stay directly to Dark Sky Telescope Hire by bank transfer or via a Paypal payment. Alternatively, you can pay by cash on your arrival at Llanerchindda.
Packages – Astronomy
Llanerchindda, situated in the Heart of rural Wales, has one of the darkest night skies in the UK – and is a great place to stay if you want to explore the night sky away from city lights.
Being on the lee side of the Cambrian Mountains, we have a greater number of clear nights compared to other areas north or west of us, and the air is clean and pollution-free.
Come for a weekend, or longer, and enjoy the beauty of the area in the day – and the glory of the night sky when the sun goes down.
We can accommodate single astronomers, with or without other family members, as well as larger groups such as local astronomical societies.
We can offer a large, flat concreted observing area to set up your own telescopes approximately 150m away from the main accommodation. This observing area has a good low horizon to the East and South and reasonably low to the North and West.
Arrangements can be made to switch off non-essential outdoor lighting, allowing long exposure photography or astronomical imaging with no intrusive lighting. Mains power is available on the concreted area. Observe all night if you wish. We think you’ll want to!
Wi Fi is also available at Llanerchindda to check on the latest weather forecast, or browse the latest astronomy news.
“Great observing facilities and awesome skies, great food, and the most helpful staff. We keep coming back.”
West of London Astronomical Society
The pictures to the right are as follows, from the top down:
- Concrete observing area and storage shed with mains power. Situated just 150 metres from the main building
- The Milky Way as observed from Llanerchindda
- Solar observing on the upper patio
- West Of London Astronomical Society 2011 group photo
- The telescope available to hire here at Llanerchindda
Astronomy Talks and Stargazing Sessions now available at Llanerchindda
Seb Jay, of Dark Sky Telescope hire, is now able to offer an astronomy talk and stargazing evenings here at Llanerchindda.
If it’s clear, Seb will be able to offer a laser-guided tour of the stars and constellations that can be seen in the night sky on that particular evening. He will set up a couple of telescopes so he can then take you on a tour across the universe, stopping off at an exciting selection of star systems, star clusters, nebulae and galaxies far beyond our own.
If the chosen night is cloudy or wet, then Seb is able to do an indoors talk along similar lines to the outdoor stargazing. He can then use planetarium software to take the group out on a journey across the universe rather than doing it from the eyepiece of the telescope.
Two or three-hour stargazing nights are available for £185 per group (for a group of 20, that would work out at just £9.25 each for the evening).
If you are interested in taking part in one of these sessions, please get in touch and we can see what we can organise for you.
Allan Trow also offers stargazing experiences at £55.00 per person for groups of eight.
