Dark Skies

Dark skies are special areas where there are low levels of light pollution. When there is an absence of light pollution thousands of stars are revealed at night. This is beneficial to the wildlife and tranquillity of an area. The Isle of Wight has a high quality of night sky; this is especially apparent within Wight Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) - a great place for Dark Wight Skies.

Viewing Dark Skies is best done on a clear night when the sun has completely set and there is no moonlight. Even better is to find an area where there is very little artificial light. Some of the best locations are found on the South Western Coast of the Isle of Wight along the Military Road. However, there are places across the Island that can boast Dark Skies.

To view Dark Skies, this often means staying out late and getting to bed even later!  For this reason, Lyon Court is the perfect place to stay as our apartments all have their own discrete entrances and you will likely not disturb anyone else when returning after a good night's stargazing.  You can then get breakfast when it suits you, rather than at a time prescribed by a hotel, which may not be convenient for you.

For more information please download the IOW AONB Dark Sky Guidance

Vectis Astronomical Society (VAS) is based in Newchurch on the Isle of Wight which is just off the South coast of the UK. The Society was founded in 1976 and their Observatory was completed and opened in 1998.  The Observatory is open to the public every Thursday evening after 8pm. If your group is larger than 6 people, please contact them, as the Observatory can sometimes get very busy!