Wild Nephin Ballycroy National Park

Management team of Mayo Dark Sky Park. Ballycroy National Park is Ireland’s sixth National Park (est 1998) and located on the Western seaboard in northwest Mayo. It comprises of 11,000 hectares of Atlantic blanket bog and mountainous terrain, covering a vast uninhabited and unspoiled wilderness dominated by the Nephin Beg mountain range. www.wildnephinnationalpark.ie

The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA)

Based in the USA, a non-profit organisation working to preserve and protect our night sky heritage for future generations. Their Award winning flagship conservation programme promotes stewardship of the night sky. International Dark Sky Association.

Dark Sky Ireland

Promoting and preserving Ireland’s Dark Skies. Formerly the Irish Light Pollution Campaign, Dark Sky Ireland became an official dark sky chapter of the IDA in 2003. Dark Sky Ireland.

Irish Federation of Astronomical Societies

The Irish Federation of Astronomical Societies (IFAS), an umbrella group of Astronomical Clubs & Societies represented throughout Ireland. Irish Federation of Astronomical Societies.

Mayo.ie

Mayo County Council’s official visitor site for information on living, working or visiting County Mayo. Visit Mayo.

Leave No Trace

We are Leave No Trace Members. Leave No Trace is an outdoor ethics programme designed to promote and inspire responsible outdoor recreation through education, research and memberships. Leave No Trace Ireland.

Newport Astronomy Club

Within easy access of Mayo Dark Sky Park, Newport Astronomy Club was formed in 2016 and has an active event calendar online. New members welcome. Newport Astronomy Club.

Night Blight – Reclaiming our Dark Skies

A UK based organisation, CPRE, works to protect the night skies in rural England and has produced some useful research and guides on how to combat light pollution. Night Blight – CPRE: The Countryside Charity.

Handy Websites

Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis)

Learn how to read the graphs to give an accurate forecast for mid latitude activity. Use these sites to gather information before observing or photographing the sky at night.

• Spaceweather
• Willowbank Observatory

Position of Stars, Planets, Moon etc. etc.

• ISS Astroviewer
• Heavens above
• Skymaps
• Stellarium is a free open source planetarium software. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope.

Photographers

Photo credits: Astrophotography shots featured on this website have been used with permission of the following local photographers:

• Brian Wilson Photography – Brian Wilson Flickr
• Stephen Hanley Photography – Stephen Hanley Flickr
• Conor Ledwith Photography – Conor Ledwith Photography
• Mike Kinsella Photography – Mike Kinsella Photography