Dafydd Wyn Morgan from the Cambrian Mountains Initiative visited us here at Basel Cottage Holidays one Saturday evening in February to do some Stargazing and Astrophotography. This was Dafydd’s first experience of the amazing Dark Skies that we have here at Basel Cottage Holidays. Dafydd has kindly allowed us to share his thoughts on ‘Star Gazing’ here at Basel Cottage located in the stunning Cambrian Mountains region and so we do hope that you enjoy reading his first-hand account.
In Dafydd’s Own Words:
‘Positioned near the Cambrian Mountains Astro Trail, Basel Cottage Holidays is the perfect place to view the stars. On a clear night you can stand on the decking outside and have a 360 degree view of the night sky. Whether it’s your keeping company with the Orion constellation in winter or having mid summer views of our own galaxy the Milky Way, you will be blown away by the whole experience!
Wrap up warm and fill that flask with a hot drink and see if you can spot some shooting stars. You might be lucky to track the International Space Station too as it travels at speeds of nearly 17,000 mph across the night. According to Go Stargazing, I was also lucky enough to capture the Andromeda Galaxy in one of my photos taken at Basel Cottage Holidays. This is the fuzzy looking thing towards the top right – 2.5 million light years away! How amazing is that?
And if you have got your own telescope then please remember to bring it with you. Alternatively, Sue and Jonah will lend you theirs so that you can hopefully discover and identify some deep space objects yourself.
If you have a DSLR camera, tripod and remote control, then why not take an awesome pic of the sky and try and include yourself and others in it? Because it will make for a truly great holiday keepsake.
I wish you a great astro-experience at Basel Cottage Holidays and please do return soon for some more stargazing in the Cambrian Mountains.
Sue and Jonah recommend that you download the following Apps so that you are all prepared and ready to get your stargazing activities off the ground:
Recommended Apps to Download:
Stellarium
Clear Outside
ISS Spotter
Meteor Shower Calendar
Finally, please do not forget to use hashtag #cambrianmountainsdarkskies in your Social Media.
Happy Stargazing at Basel Cottage Holidays!’
Dafydd
Upcoming Dark Sky Wales Events:
Are you interested in knowing more, then why not join us for the first ever Wales Dark Sky Week 2022, taking place from Saturday 19th February 2022 until Sunday 27th February 2022?
