DISCOVER Stellar views
Only the sofa-bound imagine you can’t see in the dark – on a walk you realise you can see far, far more.
I EDGE MY FEET along the dark woodland path and feel my breath catch in my throat. The dusk has thickened to black and I can barely make out my outstretched hand. But it’s not fear I’m feeling. It’s awe.
I’ve just glimpsed a star glittering through the bare branches. I’ve no idea which one and it barely matters. Each and every silver speck is a mind-bending miracle. Astar’s surface can burn at temperatures up to 200,000°C, its size can reach up to 1.5 billion miles across, it can travel at speeds up to 5.1 million miles an hour, and its light can twinkle through unimaginable expanses of space and time to reach where I’m walking on this Pale Blue Dot we call Earth, and home.
Of course, awe isn’t the only emotion a night walk can inspire. I set out half an hour ago and I’ve been terrified by what definitely looked like a bull (a bramble bush), startled by the barking of a huge and wild beast (a small muntjac deer) and thrilled by a fluting call through the trees (the hoot of a tawny owl). If you ever want to check your imagination is still inventive, just take a walk through a wood after dark.
I’ve deliberately chosen the pitchest possible night for this stargazing expedition, because maximising starlight of course means minimising all other light. I’d been aiming for the New Moon, so our only natural satellite wouldn’t flood the sky with its reflected sunshine. Cloud means I’ve had to wait a couple more days, but the Moon is still just a fingernail.
Then there’s getting away from the light we make. The streetlights, headlights, floodlights, house-lights that help us see in the dark, but also stop us seeing radiance from beyond. Some locations far from the human glow have been officially designated as Dark Sky Places. The UK has 18 parks, reserves, sanctuaries and communities recognised by DarkSky International (darksky.org), from the Orkney Isle of North Ronaldsay to Galloway Forest to the Brecon Beacons to West Penwith in Cornwall – incredible places to walk by night, and by day.
I was looking for somewhere closer to home, so I studied the atlas at lightpollutionmap.info for the nearest place where the flare dims. Shading gives you a rapid overview: black for dark, white for inner-city bright, a spectrum of colours between. Aclick shows you the details, including a location’s rating on the Bortle
