Posts for December, 2024

Join Cairngorms Astronomy Club and Tomintoul & Glenlivet Development Trust on Sunday, January 12th at 6:30 pm for an evening telescope taster session. We’ll be looking at the Moon and Mars in the constellation of Gemini. We’ll also be looking at prominent winter stars and constellations and will share resources for improving your celestial knowledge.

The Glenlivet and Tomintoul area is one of the best places in the Cairngorms National Park to discover the wonders of the night sky. It is Scotland’s second International Dark Sky Park and one of the most northerly in the world. Please meet at the Discovery Centre at 6:30pm. We’ll then be walking a short distance down to a suitable viewing location in a group with red head torches that will help your vision adapt to the darkness.

As we will be outside in the highest village in the Scottish Highlands, please dress appropriately for cold January conditions and changeable weather. Sturdy footwear, lots of layers, along with gloves and a hat will make your stargazing experience more enjoyable. If conditions are unsuitable on the day of the event the organiser will email attendees.

Toilets are available in the Discovery Centre.

Would you like to learn more about the night sky? Join Cairngorms Astronomy Club and Tomintoul & Glenlivet Development Trust on Friday, January 10th at the Discovery Centre in Tomintoul at 5:30pm for a Seven Sisters, Stars, and the Moon afternoon telescope taster session. The Pleiades star cluster, famously known as the Seven Sisters or cataloged as Messier 45 (M45), is one of the most recognizable sights in the night sky. We’ll also be looking at Jupiter, at stars and constellations and will share resources for improving your celestial knowledge. Please meet at the Discovery Centre at 5:30pm. We’ll then be walking a short distance down to a suitable viewing location in a group with red head torches that will help your vision adapt to the darkness.

The Glenlivet and Tomintoul area is one of the best places in the Cairngorms National Park to discover the wonders of the night sky. It is Scotland’s second International Dark Sky Park and one of the most northerly in the world.

As we will be outside, please dress appropriately for cold January conditions and changeable weather. Sturdy footwear, lots of layers, along with gloves and a hat will make your stargazing experience more enjoyable. If conditions are unsuitable on the day of the event the organiser will email attendees. Toilets are available in the Discovery Centre.If conditions are unsuitable on the day of the event the organiser will email attendees.

Come join us on Friday, Jan 3rd, 2025 at 16:00 in Tomintoul for an afternoon of meteor spotting and stargazing.

The peak of the meteor shower in early January is promising in 2024 as it occurs a few days after the New Moon. During the maximum, you may see up to 60 meteors an hour on a nearly moonless sky. Quadrantids are known for their bright fireball meteors produing larger explosions of light and colour, which makes them a perfect target for astrophotography. Venus and Saturn will also be in the sky near to the moon.

Please meet at the Discovery Centre at 4:00pm. We’ll then be walking a short distance down to a suitable viewing location in a group with red head torches that will help your vision adapt to the darkness.

Join Cairngorms Astronomy Club and members of Tomintoul & Glenlivet Development Trust to learn about the planets Saturn and Venus in the constellation of Aquarius. We’ll also be looking at prominent winter stars and constellations and will share resources for improving your celestial knowledge. Please meet at the Discovery Centre at 5:00pm. We’ll then be walking a short distance down to a suitable viewing location in a group with red head torches that will help your vision adapt to the darkness.

The Glenlivet and Tomintoul area is one of the best places in the Cairngorms National Park to discover the wonders of the night sky. It is Scotland’s second International Dark Sky Park and one of the most northerly in the world.

As we will be outside, please dress appropriately for cold January conditions and changeable weather. Sturdy footwear, lots of layers, along with gloves and a hat will make your stargazing experience more enjoyable. If conditions are unsuitable on the day of the event the organiser will email attendees. Toilets are available in the Discovery Centre.

Join us for festive family stargazing on Thursday, December 19th, 2024. We’ll have tea, hot chocolate and festive treats in the Discovery Centre before going outside to look for stars, planets, and constellations. Santa hats, bells, and reindeer noses and antlers welcome!

Toilets are available in the Tomintoul & Glenlivet Discovery Centre.

If the weather isn’t suitable on the day, we’ll endeavour to run an alternative session on the 20th.

As we will be outside in December, please dress extra warmly for cold and changeable weather. Please also wear appropriate shoes for wet, and wintry conditions.

Would you like to learn more about the night sky and constellations? Join us at the Glenlivet Hall on Thursday, December 5th. We’ll have tea, biscuits, and a brief presentation in the hall before going outside for a short stroll in a group to look at stars, planets, and constellations and share resources for improving your celestial knowledge.

The Glenlivet and Tomintoul area is one of the best places in the Cairngorms National Park to discover the wonders of the night sky. It is Scotland’s second International Dark Sky Park and the most northerly in the world.

21 December 2024

Dark Skies Walk – Ursid Meteor Shower, catch the shooting stars of the last major meteor shower of the year, the Ursids. At its peak, observers may be able to view as many as 10 meteors in an hour.

Please be aware this is an outdoor event and participants should come dressed for walking in the dark in winter for 2 – 2.5 hrs

13th December 2024

Dark Skies Walk – The Geminids are considered to be one of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year, with the possibility of sighting around 120 meteors per hour at its peak.

The shower owes its name to the constellation Gemini because the meteors seem to emerge from this constellation in the sky.

Sunday 1 December 2024

Dark Sky walk – The New Moon phase is the best time to explore the night sky. Find planets, stars, and constellation. There are two New Moons in December 2024. The first one falls on the first day of the month.

This is an outdoor event, following a short presentation participants should expect to be outdoors for 2 – 2.5 hours and come dressed for a winters evening walk.

Join Cairngorms Astronomy Club and members of the Tomintoul & Glenlivet Dark Sky Park Group at the Field of Hope, Tomintoul for a comet spotting session. Please meet at the Field of Hope from 6:00pm.*

The comet will be closest to Earth on October 12th with good visibility in the northern hemisphere. Assuming clear skies we hope to be able to see it in the telescope at the Field of Hope. As comets are notoriously unpredictable, there’s no way to know at this time exactly how bright this comet will become. The comet is named after the observatories that discovered it. In this instance it was discovered by the Tsuchinshan or “Purple Mountain” Observatory in Nanjing, China on January 9th, 2023 and also by the ATLAS telescope in South Africa on February 22nd, 2023.

We’ll have the Celestron telescope on hand for comet spotting.

(*If the weather conditions are unfavourable on the 12th, the event will run again on Sunday, October 13th.)

The Glenlivet and Tomintoul area is one of the best places in the Cairngorms National Park to discover the wonders of the night sky. Not only does this remote area have stunning dark skies but it also has easy access allowing everyone to enjoy a night sky brimming with stars.

Public toilets are available in Tomintoul at Tomnabat Lane, opposite the public carpark. As we will be outside in October please dress appropriately for cool autumn conditions and changeable weather.

Limited parking is available at the Field of Hope, but you can also park in the village and walk down to the bird hide.

Tickets are free for this event. Donations are also always appreciated and can be made on the night if you wish.

Thanks for supporting our Dark Sky Park!