Dark Sky Wales

07/09/2026

🌑☀️ SOLAR ECLIPSE QUESTION OF THE YEAR 2026! ☀️🌑

We had an absolutely incredible time experiencing the Total Solar Eclipse in Spain this August. 🇪🇸🔭

The eclipse was spectacular. The scenery was beautiful. The company was fantastic.

But there was one other thing that made the build-up to the eclipse particularly memorable…

The questions. 😂

And yes… these are some of the questions we actually received!

So, after much deliberation at Dark Sky Wales HQ, we think it's only fair that YOU decide the winner.

🏆 VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE ECLIPSE QUESTION:

🥄 A) “Would I be safe watching the eclipse using a spoon?”

🍋 B) “Would it be possible to view the eclipse if I cut a lemon in half, drilled two holes through the centre and placed them over my eyes?”

🙈 C) “Is it OK to watch the eclipse with my back to it?”

🌑 D) “When the Sun goes out, is it safe to look at the Sun?”

🐕 E) “My dog likes astronomy. Would it be safe for him to take a look at the eclipse?”

We genuinely don't know which one deserves the crown. 👑😂

Comment A, B, C, D or E below to cast your vote!

And before anyone gets ideas involving the contents of their kitchen…

⚠️ Public service announcement from Dark Sky Wales: spoons, lemons and enthusiastic astronomical dogs are NOT approved solar observing equipment! 😂

The eclipse itself was an experience we'll never forget — and judging by some of the questions we received, neither will the build-up!

So… which gets your vote? 👇

05/09/2026

05/09/2026

🌟🔭 LAST FEW DAYS TO BOOK – GCSE ASTRONOMY 2026/27! 🌙✨

There’s still time to join us — but not much!

Our GCSE Astronomy course starts this Monday, 7th September at 7pm, and we have just a few places remaining.

Whether you're a home-educated learner, school student, adult learner or simply someone who's always wanted to turn their fascination with the night sky into a recognised qualification, this could be your opportunity.

🌌 Pearson Edexcel GCSE Astronomy
💻 Live online lessons every Monday at 7pm
🎥 Lessons recorded so you can catch up anytime
📚 Comprehensive learning materials through Moodle
🔭 No telescope required — binoculars are sufficient
👨‍🏫 Taught by experienced astronomy tutor Ben Wilkes
🎓 No age limit for sitting the examination
📅 Examination: June 2027
💷 Course fee: £525

📝 EXAMINATIONS

Examination fees are separate from the course fee.

We have special arrangements in place with examination centres for our GCSE Astronomy students, helping learners access a centre where they can sit their Pearson Edexcel GCSE Astronomy examinations.

This is particularly useful for home-educated and independent learners, where finding a suitable examination centre can often be one of the more difficult parts of taking a GCSE independently.

The course covers everything from the Earth, Moon and Solar System to stars, galaxies, cosmology and practical astronomical observations.

🚨 With the first lesson taking place this Monday, these really are the last few days to secure your place.

If you've been thinking about joining us, now is the time!

👉 Book your place:
www.darksky.wales

🌟 Turn your interest in the night sky into a GCSE qualification.

01/09/2026

🌌 WHAT A MONTH AUGUST HAS BEEN FOR DARK SKY WALES! 🔭☀️🌙

August has been one of those months where we’ve barely had time to stop and look back at everything that’s happened!

🇪🇸 TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE – SPAIN 2026

One of the highlights of the year was taking our group to Spain for the 12th August Total Solar Eclipse.

After months of planning, we were treated to the incredible sight of the Sun disappearing behind the Moon. We also enjoyed some fantastic astronomy and observing, including the Perseid meteor shower.

An experience we certainly won't forget — and it has made us even more excited for our 2027 Total Solar Eclipse adventure in Gaucín, Andalucía!

🔭 STARGAZING ACROSS WALES

Back home, our team continued running our stargazing experiences throughout August.

As ever with astronomy in Wales, the weather kept us on our toes! Clear skies, cloud, rain and just about everything in between, but it’s been fantastic meeting so many people and sharing our passion for the night sky.

🎓 GCSE ASTRONOMY

We've also been busy preparing for our 2026/27 GCSE Astronomy course, welcoming another fantastic group of students who will be studying towards the Pearson Edexcel GCSE in Astronomy.

The course begins in September and there’s still time to find out more:

👉 www.darksky.wales

🌙 LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

Behind the scenes, we've also been working on some very exciting plans for the future of Dark Sky Wales.

We can't reveal everything quite yet, but we're hoping the months ahead will bring some of the biggest developments we've undertaken since Dark Sky Wales began. 👀

A massive thank you to everyone who joined us during August, travelled with us, booked an experience, enrolled on our GCSE course or simply followed our adventures.

September... here we come! 🌌🔭

29/08/2026

🌟🔭 GCSE ASTRONOMY – NOW OPEN TO ALL AGES! 🔭🌟

We have some fantastic news for anyone who has been considering studying GCSE Astronomy with Dark Sky Wales…

🌙 There is now NO AGE LIMIT for sitting the examination!

That means younger astronomy enthusiasts, home-educated learners, adults looking for a new challenge, and those who simply have a lifelong fascination with the night sky can all work towards a recognised GCSE qualification in Astronomy.

🚀 Our 2026/27 course starts Monday 7th September!
The course is delivered online, so you can study from anywhere in the UK.

✨ Weekly live online tuition
✨ Lessons recorded if you can't attend live
✨ Comprehensive online learning resources
✨ Covers the Solar System, stars, galaxies, cosmology and observational astronomy
✨ Guidance through the required observational work
✨ Work towards the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Astronomy qualification
✨ No upper OR lower age restriction on taking the examination

Whether you're a home educator looking for something different, a young person already fascinated by space, or an adult who has always wanted to turn their interest in astronomy into a qualification, this could be the perfect opportunity.
And you don't need to be an experienced astronomer to begin. 🌌

We only have a few places remaining for this year's intake, and with the removal of the examination age restriction we're expecting considerable interest.

📅 Starts: Monday 7th September 2026
🕖 Live tuition: Mondays at 7pm
💻 Online – study from home
💷 Course fee: £525
🔭 The Universe doesn't have an age limit. Now neither does your Astronomy GCSE.

Find out more and secure your place through www.darksky.wales

28/08/2026

A great eclipse image from South Africa!

27/08/2026

🌌 GCSE ASTRONOMY – JUST A FEW PLACES LEFT FOR SEPTEMBER 🔭

Are you home educating a young person who is fascinated by space, planets, stars and the Universe?

Or perhaps you're retired and finally have the time to study a subject you've been interested in for years?

Our GCSE Astronomy course starts on 7th September 2026, and we now have only a few places remaining.

This course is designed to be flexible, accessible and genuinely enjoyable, whether you're studying as part of home education or returning to learning later in life.

For home-educated students, it offers a structured route towards a recognised GCSE qualification in a subject that can really capture the imagination.

For retired learners, it's a chance to take on a new challenge, keep learning, and explore astronomy in much greater depth without needing to attend a college or travel anywhere.

💻 Live online tuition every Monday at 7pm
🎥 All lessons are recorded, so you can catch up in your own time
🏠 Study entirely from home
🔭 No telescope required
🎓 Pearson Edexcel GCSE Astronomy
👨‍🏫 Taught by experienced astronomy educator Ben Wilkes
💷 Course fee: £525

You don't need previous astronomy experience. You just need curiosity.

Over the year, you'll explore everything from the Earth, Moon and Solar System to stars, galaxies, cosmology and the techniques astronomers use to understand the Universe.

Whether you're 15 or 75, there's no age limit on learning something new.

🚨 ONLY A FEW PLACES REMAIN

If this sounds like the right fit for you or someone in your family, now is the time to secure a place.

👉 Book online at www.darksky.wales

🌠 Turn a fascination with the night sky into a real qualification.

25/08/2026

Our friends at First Light Optics have a great introductory deal on for the launch of the new Seestar S50 Pro. We are looking forward to seeing the results from these incredible new digital telescopes.

ZWO Seestar S50 Pro All-in-One Smart APO Telescope & Tripod | First Light Optics

First Light Optics - Suppliers of Astronomy telescopes, binoculars and accessories from Skywatcher, Celestron, Meade, William Optics, Atik, Imaging Source, Starlight Xpress, ADM, Moonlite, Catseye, Hutech and others.

24/08/2026

🌕🌑 ANOTHER ECLIPSE IS COMING TO UK SKIES THIS WEEK! 🌑🌕

Just over two weeks after the spectacular 12 August Solar Eclipse, the Moon is about to put on another show — and this time you can watch it safely with your own eyes!

In the early hours of Friday 28 August, a deep partial lunar eclipse will be visible across the UK and Ireland.

And this is no tiny eclipse…

🌑 Around 93% of the Moon will enter the darkest part of Earth’s shadow!

As the eclipse deepens, much of the normally brilliant Full Moon could take on beautiful copper, orange and reddish colours, leaving just a small portion brightly illuminated.

⏰ UK TIMES – FRIDAY 28 AUGUST

🌘 2:23am – Penumbral eclipse begins
🌑 3:33am – Partial eclipse begins
🔥 5:12am – MAXIMUM ECLIPSE – around 93% of the Moon in Earth’s deep shadow

At maximum eclipse the Moon will be getting very low in the sky, so you'll need a location with a good, unobstructed view towards the south-west/western horizon.

👀 NO ECLIPSE GLASSES ARE NEEDED!

Unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is completely safe to watch with the naked eye. Binoculars or a small telescope should make the colours and the advancing edge of Earth's shadow even more impressive.

🌍 SO WHAT'S HAPPENING?

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes between the Sun and Moon, causing our planet's enormous shadow to fall across the lunar surface.

And there's a lovely connection with the eclipse we experienced earlier this month…

☀️ 12 August – Solar Eclipse
🌕 28 August – Lunar Eclipse

Eclipses often arrive in pairs because, during an eclipse season, the Sun, Earth and Moon are aligned closely enough for eclipses to occur around two weeks apart.

After the incredible solar eclipse earlier this month, August 2026 has one more astronomical treat waiting for us.

Now we just need one thing…

☁️➡️✨ CLEAR SKIES! 🤞

Who's setting the alarm for 5am? 🌕📸

Check out Time And Date for the exact timing for your location https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/@2654817?iso=20260828

Dark Sky Wales

24/08/2026

🌌 WHAT IF THIS SEPTEMBER YOU DIDN’T JUST LOOK AT THE STARS… YOU STARTED TO UNDERSTAND THEM? 🔭

GCSE ASTRONOMY | STARTS 7th SEPTEMBER 2026

The recent solar eclipse reminded millions of us just how extraordinary our Universe really is.

But have you ever wanted to understand why these incredible events happen?

☀️ Why do solar eclipses occur?
🌙 How did the Moon form?
⭐ How are stars born, and what happens when they die?
🪐 Could there be life elsewhere in our Solar System?
🌌 How do we know the Universe is expanding?
💫 And how can we possibly understand objects billions of light-years away?

This September, Dark Sky Wales invites you to stop simply wondering and start discovering.

🎓 Study GCSE Astronomy with us from home.

Our Pearson Edexcel GCSE Astronomy course begins on Monday 7 September and takes you on a journey from our own planet and Moon to stars, galaxies and the wider Universe.

And you DON'T need to be a scientist or experienced astronomer to join us.

🔭 No telescope required
💻 Live online tuition – Mondays at 7pm
🎥 Every lesson recorded, so you can catch up anytime
🏠 Study entirely from home
👨‍🏫 Experienced astronomy tuition
🎓 Work towards a nationally recognised GCSE qualification
👨‍👩‍👧 Suitable for adults, teenagers and home-educated students

Course fee: £525

Perhaps you missed the opportunity to study astronomy when you were younger.

Perhaps your son or daughter is fascinated by space and wants a qualification that genuinely excites them.

Or perhaps you've spent years looking up at the night sky thinking:

“I'd love to understand what I'm actually looking at.”

This is your opportunity.

🚀 THE COURSE STARTS 7th SEPTEMBER – PLACES ARE STILL AVAILABLE.

👉 Book your place now at www.darksky.wales

🌌 The Universe is waiting. Come and discover it.