Starry-eyed Surprises

Cities aren’t known for their stargazing potential. Higher levels of light pollution typically mean that the cosmos is tantalisingly out of sight. But Greenwich is replete with plenty of wide open spaces, not to mention its very own observatory, which means that, given the right conditions, it can be an excellent place to get better acquainted with the sky above and learn to distinguish your neutron stars from your nebulae.

Dr. Ed Bloomer did his PhD in gravitational wave data analysis at the University of Glasgow, making him ludicrously overqualified to tell us about how to look at the night sky, but in his role at the Royal Observatory he’s responsible for making astronomy more accessible to the public. Through workshops, lectures and all manner of other events at the planetarium, Ed’s passionate about sharing his love of the stars with amateurs and enthusiasts.

Just prior to the pandemic, Ed was lucky enough to spend a short period of time at Lake Tekapo in New Zealand, a sparsely-populated area of the country known for its natural beauty and stunning skies. “That was pretty fantastic!” he says. “But you really don’t need to travel that far.”

To make the most of London’s skies, just follow Ed’s top five tips.

1. Embrace the darkness:It takes your eyes up to half an hour to fully adjust to low light, so give yourself plenty of time. Relax, get comfortable, and don’t look at your phone! Darkness is key to successful stargazing, so finding somewhere open to the sky — which is hard to do in built up urban areas — is important. You want to have as clear a horizon as possible. Parks are a good start. Anywhere with reduced artificial light. Getting above lights also works well; if you have access to a roof or elevated area, that could make a difference to visibility. Good weather makes a huge difference, but unfortunately we’re not in control of that.
2. Forget fancy gear:There are plenty of things to see with naked-eye astronomy, but even a small pair of binoculars can let you see more stars. Keeping your view steady can be tricky, and a tripod and adaptor are great, but even just being able to rest your binoculars somewhere while you look through them will make things easier. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn can all be seen with the naked eye (Mercury will be the most difficult), and of course the Moon. There are also loads of satellites passing overhead, and at times you can see the International Space Station. Seeing nebulae starts to require specialist equipment, and comet visibility is relatively rare, but not impossible.
3. Keep an eye on the calendar: The sky changes throughout the year, so there’s always something to see. Right now, during the astronomical Winter period, we have long nights and short days, so you can start your stargazing without staying up too late and have the option of stargazing for long periods if you want. Meteor showers like The Lyrids and Eta Aquariids can be seen in April and May. There is also a partial lunar eclipse on May 16. It’ll be quite challenging to see in the UK, but in the early morning we will be able to see part of the eclipse sequence before the moon dips below the horizon.
4. Learn the language: I always try to tell visitors that there are myths and legends from all over the world and throughout history that are bound up in the stars. Having codified lists can be very useful, but I think the temptation is to only think of ‘the’ constellations when in fact there are a thousand stories about the cosmos you won’t have heard before. Simply learning different names for stars and planets is fun!
5. Visit the observatory: If you enjoy naked-eye astronomy and want to delve a little deeper, come and visit us at the Observatory when we reopen in the spring. We’re looking forward to letting visitors explore everything again. In terms of equipment, The Great Equatorial Telescope, originally installed in 1893, is still usable today and it is pretty special. And we also have the planetarium; live shows on a variety of astronomical topics throughout the year, delivered by trained astronomers! Another great way to engage is to come along to an astronomical society full of fellow enthusiasts. Here in Greenwich, we’re associated with the Flamsteed Astronomical Society. They’re a big group, active, and organise lots of things to get involved in.

For more information about UK stargazing, including lists of stargazing locations and other useful resources visit darksky.org.