By Jupiter! What a great way to see sky at night

Published on Friday 23 January 2009 21:21

FOR as long as there have been humans on Earth, there have been those who have gazed up into the night sky with a sense of wonder. Yet with sprawling cities and their giant fingers of light soaking the darkness from our skies, finding the right spot to watch stars, planets and other celestial objects is becoming ever more difficult.

Scotland is blessed with abundant stretches of dark sky above the countryside – but what of those of us who live in towns and cities? Well, a throwback to our industrial heritage may be the ticket to unlocking the wonders of the night sky.

Lowland canals were the highways of the industrial revolution, sending coal into the heart of our urban centres and drawing out waste from horse-drawn carriages. Now these "dark corridors" have a new role to play by introducing city-dwellers to the excitement of the night sky.

As part of the International Year of Astronomy (IYA), British Waterways Scotland – the public corporation that looks after the 137-mile canal network that criss-crosses the Highlands and Lowlands – is promoting the use of its towpaths for stargazing.

The scheme is a hit with Steve Owens, a Glasgow-based astronomer charged with co-ordinating the UK's celebrations for the IYA. Standing on the deck of Reunion, a 60ft wide-beam barge that allows community access to the Union Canal, Owens waxes lyrical not just about the phases of the Moon and twinkle of the stars, but also about the opportunity that Scotland's canals presents to the public.

"Most people think you have to go into rural areas to see the night sky, but you can get really good views along the canals between Glasgow and Edinburgh," he says.

Having trained at Glasgow University and worked as astronomer at the city's science centre, Owens has observed the night sky from telescopes around the world. "I've worked on the Canary Islands and in Namibia, but Scotland can be even better than those places because of the lack of dust in the atmosphere," he says. "The rain that often clouds the night sky also leads to clearer skies when the clouds do part."

Owens isn't the only fan of Scotland's skies. Professor John Brown, Astronomer Royal for Scotland, says: "Scotland's skies are truly fascinating and I encourage anyone who is curious about the heavens to make 2009 the year to make some new discoveries for yourself. From meteors, planets, stars, clusters and nebulae to galaxies – our skies offer a memorable star-gazing experience."

"If you are able to find the right spot where the sky is dark enough, you can be truly wowed by what the naked eye can see," he adds.

Even before Reunion has made its way out of Edinburgh Quay, our stargazing has begun. Venus – the "morning star" when in the east and the "evening star" when in the west – dominates the clear sky above the capital, shining even as the Sun sets.

Once out of the city centre and further into the darkness, the sky begins to flood with constellations. As a Highlander – and after being treated to some superb views with and without telescopes at St Andrews University – I'm happy to admit I was sceptical about the view available in Edinburgh, even along its "dark corridors".

But my scepticism is shattered as we make our way along the canal and Owens begins pointing out features in the dark sky above. Even with the naked eye, dozens of stars and scores of constellations are visible. Owens weaves in tales from Greek mythology that accompany the names of the constellations in the northern hemisphere.

Along with Venus shining brightly, we see the Plough, pointing up to Polaris, the north or pole star, and Cassiopeia, the queen who boasted of her great beauty.

As the sky becomes darker and our eyes adjust to the night, we see the two stars of Gemini, the twins, and the Pleiades, a good test for an observer's eyes – how many of the "seven sisters" can you see in the cluster?

As Reunion moors on the canal bank just past the aqueduct at Slateford, the constellation of Orion is clearly visible rising from the horizon. We catch sight of a satellite shooting past, briefly reflecting the light from the Sun as it continues its orbit around the Earth. As well as man-made satellites we keep our eyes peeled for "shooting stars" – grains of dust or lumps of rock that burn up as they enter the Earth's atmosphere.

The UN declared 2009 the IYA to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first glimpses through a telescope, which many commentators say gave birth to modern observational astronomy. This year is also the 400th anniversary of Thomas Harriot making his first observations of the Moon through a telescope.

"We want people who have never looked through a telescope before to be able to gaze through one, first at the Moon and then, hopefully, at Jupiter and Saturn too," explains Owens. "You shouldn't expect to see Jupiter and Saturn like you would in the famous Hubble Space Telescope images – but the view you can get from a telescope is just as special and you can see them 'live', rather than on a computer screen."

As a fan of the mesmerising sight of the Moon seen through a telescope, I couldn't agree more. And you don't need expensive equipment to enjoy astronomy: standing in a dark area – or on the banks of a canal – you can share in the awe of the night sky by just using your eyes.

FACT BOX

CANALS aren't the only places offering beautiful views of the night sky this year: Steve Owens picks his other top spots:

&#149 CULLODEN BATTLEFIELD, INVERNESS: Highlands Astronomical Society's new observatory is based here – a dark site only ten minutes' drive from the city.

&#149 GALLOWAY FOREST PARK: 300sq miles of Forestry Commission land with very little on it except trees and mountains, but with plenty of places to stop and stargaze. Try near the Galloway Astronomy Centre, at Wigtown.

&#149 GLASGOW BOTANIC GARDENS: This proves there are places you can go in cities to get away from the worst of the light pollution.

&#149 CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK: With the exception of Aviemore, there are few sources of light around, and you're never far from somewhere very dark.

&#149 LOCH LOMOND AND THE TROSSACHS NATIONAL PARK: The southern end gets light from Glasgow, but is still significantly darker than most will be familiar with, and the northern end is very dark indeed.