Reclaiming the night by exploring the stars

As a woman, there are times when dark winter nights make me feel vulnerable against my will. Simple trips to the shops or a lonely walk to the bus stop can sometimes leave me with my heart in my throat and my pace rushed, and sadly, I know I’m not alone in this experience. All it takes is one uncomfortable encounter, just one shadowy figure on the other side of the road.

Occasionally as a result of these experiences, the United Kingdom’s reversion to standard time in late October can feel like a curse. Last winter especially news of another attack or kidnapping seemed to be on TV every week, and the dark became a really distressing place for many people.

And yet, standing alone outside in the darkness of a cold January evening, for the first time in a while I find myself unfearful of the dark.

Today is the first clear night in over a week, and right now in my garden, I have an appointment with the most distant human beings in the galaxy.

Finally, I see it – the bright white light of the International Space Station (ISS) curving across the horizon, appearing suddenly but unmistakably from behind the shadows of the roofs to my right.

It gleams; I grin.

I have always been interested in the night sky, our solar system, and all that lies beyond, but recently I’ve finally given in to becoming an obsessive.

In just the past week I have learnt how the stars which make up the tiny little saucepan in the sky (The Pleiades) are actually around 444 light years away from us; how to identify the entirety of the constellations Orion, Taurus and Gemini; and that if I want to see the Milky Way, I’m going to have to venture further than my city garden.

Rushing in from my close encounter with the ISS, I book myself a spot for a February stargazing adventure with Dark Sky Wales in the Brecon Beacons – the UK’s oldest protected Dark Sky Reserve. 2022 marks the tenth anniversary of Brecon’s remote darkness being granted protected status.

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But alongside all the astronomical facts which fascinate me with the night, my recent adventure with stargazing has also taught me the welcome fact that there is still some comfort to be found in the dark. And while stargazing cannot vanquish the threats which can come from the dark, it can help with banishing the fear of losing my nights to them altogether.

In 2014, a pilot study published in the European Journal of Ecopsychology found evidence to suggest that stargazing “may be perceived as a life enhancement opportunity” for its practitioners thanks to how it connects us to the wider natural world.

When I look up to the stars I am immediately calmed by their beauty. And while they may make my life on Earth feel small, these giant balls of gas hundreds if not thousands of lightyears away from us also remind me of how we are all a part of a huge universe.

This reminder of the bigger picture never fails to humble me and put all my earthly fears to bed for a little while, even those which are most pressing in the dark.

Before arriving in Brecon for my night of stargazing and astrophotography with Dark Sky Wales, I met with Dark Sky Wales’ founder and director Allan Trow and asked him what he thinks draws people to the stars.

“I think that’s a very personal question,” the 49-year-old who has lectured on the stars for 20 years explains.

“Each individual takes away what they want from the subject matter. Some people are very scientific and enjoy the science aspect… others are very spiritual.

“Once you’re stood under a dark sky with the Milky Way glowing above your head, or you take one look through a telescope and see a planet several million miles away from you, you feel that massive insignificance of humankind, and that has an effect on an individual."

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“But to me,” he continues, “It's the mystery of what is out there."

"Yes, we can understand a lot of the physical processes which form the universe… but there's still a part of the universe, and it’s quite a big part, that we know nothing about. It's that which keeps me inspired to learn.”

Allan’s interest in the stars is something which was sparked in his early childhood, standing in the garden with his grandfather watching the stars as they waited for their homing pigeons to return.

Whatever it is which first draws people to the stars, interest seems to be increasing. Since setting up Dark Sky Wales in 2010, Allan says they’ve seen around a 30% increase in visitors to their events each year.

On arrival in Brecon, I was greeted by Martin Griffiths, an astronomer, writer and lecturer, and another of Dark Sky Wales’ excellent educators.

After our group of 15 had assembled, Martin carefully guided us by torch light from the tourist centre car park into a small field by its side, making sure we avoided tripping over the three telescopes set up for use that evening.

As Martin began to animatedly explain what we could see above us, I was pleasantly surprised to find that one of the main themes of the night alongside mythology and the wild human imagination was exploring the stories of the people behind the science of the night sky, and in particular, finally recognising the contribution of so many women to this field.

That night we heard about the Sumerian priestess Enheduanna, whose poems and writings from the 23^rd century BCE may be our first record of any authored work in the world; American astronomer Annie Cannon who manually catalogued over 350,000 stars; and British-American astronomer and astrophysicist Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, whose PhD thesis proposed the composition of stars to be hydrogen and helium.

Dark Sky Wales educator Martin Griffiths. Image Credit: Hannah Watkin

In literature, the moon is often depicted as a calming and caring motherly figure. In one of my favourite novels, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Jane’s only company when lost one night on a cold moor is the moon, a presence which comforts her in her time of need.

While none of us were lost that night on the Brecon Beacons, I like to think the stars above us still guided us to feeling more at peace than we would have been had we all stayed at home with the bother of our varied daily lives, despite the bitter cold.

In our earlier meeting, Allan told me the story of one young teen who escaped from an ankle tag in order to go and see the Perseid’s meteor shower last August. The teen had become interested in the stars after Dark Sky Wales came to his school to do a class.

At first this student hadn’t wanted to engage with Allan’s presentation about the Andromeda Galaxy. However: “After about five to ten minutes, I could see his brain was looking at it like What the hell is it? And as soon as he asked the first question, he was hooked,” Allan explained.

Later in August, the same teen was found by police lying tagless on top of a bus shelter, watching the meteor shower. No charges were made, and Allan said he has gone on to find a job since.

“Just a little inspiration doesn’t sound like much,” Allan smiles, “but it was massive for that individual.”

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lighted outdoor lamp on wooden house during night time

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Meanwhile back in Brecon, those of us attending Martin’s workshop were beginning to learn about the social benefits to stargazing as we connected beyond the frequent check ins on how cold we all were.

Dark Sky Wales’ visitor demographic is 95% English, but on the night I was there our group featured a more equal split between locals and visitors from over the border.

One visitor, John Mumford, travelled from Cheltenham that evening to finally claim the birthday gift of stargazing and astrophotography his daughter bought for him three years ago, prior to the pandemic.

Dark Sky Wales set up their own infrared modified DSLR cameras to their telescopes in order for all attendees to get a chance to see and perhaps take photos of the stars, but visitors are welcome to bring their own equipment too, and this is what John did.

One of the modified Dark Sky Wales DSLR cameras. Image Credit: Hannah Watkin

One of the Dark Sky Wales telescopes. Image Credit: Hannah Watkin

Wrapped up warm to get a good look at the stars. Image Credit: Hannah Watkin

Now that's a proper galaxy! Image Credit: Dark Sky Wales

However, the majority of us that evening had travelled solely to get to look at the stars, unmasked from the haze of heavy city light pollution. Together for one night we were all united in awe at the wonderful array of stars we had to see.

Thanks to a clear night and Brecon’s welcome darkness, entire constellations and even fainter star clusters were finally visible to us all after being helpfully signposted by Martin and the bright green beam of his laser pointer.

A lifelong fascination with the stars and the desire to learn how to better use their garden telescope was what drew one couple from Haverford West to the event.

“It’s just mind blowing, isn’t it?” Catherine, 45, exclaims. “It’s crazy to see everything that’s out there and to think about how far away and how old the light we see is.”

Sometimes we all found it was hard to work out quite what phenomena we were meant to be looking at through the telescopes provided, but the long exposure photography Martin arranged via cameras attached to the telescopes’ viewfinders meant we were better able to see sights like the ones we are used to seeing in textbooks and on TV.

“I feel bad for judging them by their appearances,” I joke, staring at the Whirlpool Galaxy on the modified DSLR’s screen rather than through the telescope’s viewfinder, “But now I feel like I’ve seen a real galaxy!”

Out of all of us at the event, my father was the eldest of the bunch at 69 years old. The youngest among us was in their early teens. Stargazing has no age limit; it is a lifelong pastime just as the stories of the sky reveal it is one which defies historical ages as well.

There’s a place for everyone in stargazing, and from the technical What does a bright star look like captured on camera? to Can you show me the dragon? Martin was able to answer every question put to him that night.

Despite the incredible cold of the evening, all those who attended went home with the warm feeling of having learnt something new.

Having returned from my night of stargazing in the Brecon Beacons, I am now more confidently able to enjoy the wonders of the night sky when exploring it from cities at night. While no city horizon can compare to the protected dark gallery we were offered to view in the Beacons, it is still amazing what you can see if you choose to look up and put your worldly worries on pause to connect with the further reaches of our existence.

After a night out with a friend in Birmingham, I find myself stood in the alleyway behind their house, staring up at the stars.

“That one over there is Orion,” I say confidently, introducing them to his belt first, and then his head and shoulders. “And that’s Taurus over there,” I point.

“Oh, that’s me!” she beams, referring to her astrology.

As we continue to stare, the weights of our shopping and earthly troubles momentarily vanish as we are both transported out into the cosmos. Later I get out my phone to use an app to accurately signpost the stars I have yet to learn to identify in our view.

We stare for another few minutes before heading in. Her feet were cold – some things never change.

But without a doubt, the awe and calm that I enjoy in stargazing has just been passed on to another. I hope she won’t be the last I inspire to escape out of the darkness, and into the stars.

Allan’s top tips for stargazing at home

1. Find an open space, such as your garden or a local park

2. Stay safe. If you’re travelling to a location away from home go with someone, or make sure someone knows where you are at all times

3. Wrap up warm, and consider bringing a blanket to lie down on to look up at the stars

4. Use binoculars to improve what you can see. Remember a pair of binoculars today are as strong as if not stronger than the first telescopes which were used to plot the stars!

5. Don’t worry about the big events. What’s most important is just getting out there and enjoying the night sky whatever you get to see

6. If you want to learn more, use an app to label the night sky, or join a local astronomy society to get access to more resources such as telescopes and expert talks