Dark Sky Wales

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.

20/08/2026

🌑☀️ 2027 TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE – ONLY A HANDFUL OF PLACES LEFT! ☀️🌑

Following the incredible success of our 2026 Total Solar Eclipse adventure in Spain, we're already looking ahead to the next one – and our 2027 Eclipse Experience in Gaucín, Andalucía is almost full!

On 2nd August 2027, we'll witness one of nature's greatest spectacles – a total solar eclipse with around 4 minutes and 28 seconds of totality.

🇪🇸 Gaucín, Andalucía, Spain
🌑 Total Solar Eclipse – 2nd August 2027
⏱️ Around 4 minutes 28 seconds of totality
🏡 Shared accommodation within a luxury villa complex
🔭 Nightly stargazing with Dark Sky Wales
🌞 Days free to relax, explore Andalucía or simply enjoy the villa complex
💷 £1,800 per person
💳 £300 deposit to secure your place
📅 Balance payable by February 2027 – instalments welcome

Our accommodation provides a fantastic base for the experience, with guests sharing luxury villa accommodation while enjoying the eclipse and nightly stargazing sessions.

After the unforgettable experience of sharing the 2026 eclipse in Spain with our guests, we know just how extraordinary those few minutes of totality can be.

⚠️ We now have only a handful of places remaining.

If you've been thinking about joining us, now is the time to secure your place. Once these final spaces have gone, the 2027 trip will be full.

Come and experience the moment day turns to night over Andalucía with Dark Sky Wales. 🌑✨

👉 Book or find out more at www.darksky.wales

19/08/2026

🌑 INSPIRED BY THE SOLAR ECLIPSE? TAKE YOUR INTEREST IN ASTRONOMY FURTHER! 🔭✨

After the incredible 12 August solar eclipse, perhaps you've found yourself wanting to know a little more about what's happening above our heads.

Why do eclipses happen? 🌑
How are stars born and how do they die? ⭐
How do we measure the enormous distances across space? 🌌
What do we know about the origin and future of our Universe?

This September, Dark Sky Wales is giving you the opportunity to explore these questions and work towards a nationally recognised GCSE in Astronomy.

🎓 GCSE ASTRONOMY – STARTS 7 SEPTEMBER 2026

Our course follows the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Astronomy (1AS0) specification and is open to adults, home-educated students and anyone with a genuine interest in astronomy.

🔭 No previous astronomy experience required
💻 Live online tuition every Monday at 7pm
🎥 Every session is recorded – catch up whenever you need to
🔭 No telescope or expensive equipment required
🏠 Study from home – no need to travel to South Wales
👨‍🏫 Taught by experienced astronomy educator Ben Wilkes
💷 Course fee: £525

And age certainly shouldn't be a barrier. Whether you're a teenager studying from home or returning to education many years later, if you're fascinated by the Universe, this course is for you.

🌟 PLACES ARE STILL AVAILABLE FOR SEPTEMBER

If watching the eclipse made you look up and think “I'd love to understand more about this”, this could be your next step.

👉 Book your place today:
www.darksky.wales

Enrolment information will be sent out before the course begins.

🌌 Don't just look at the Universe. Learn to understand it.

17/08/2026

☀️ 11 Days, One Incredible Journey, and a Total Solar Eclipse We’ll Never Forget 🌑

Eleven days ago, our Solar Eclipse adventure began on a beautiful sunny afternoon in Poole as we boarded the ferry and set off for France. This morning, it comes full circle as we return from Saint-Malo and make our way home to Wales.

And what an eleven days it has been.

We’ve travelled through mile after mile of France and Spain, stayed in some wonderful places, driven through spectacular landscapes and, most importantly, met a fantastic group of people who chose to share this adventure with us.

At the heart of it all was August 12th in Brihuega, Spain.

After all the months of planning, organising, travelling and watching the weather, we finally stood together beneath the Spanish sky and watched the Moon slowly move across the face of the Sun.

Then came totality.

For those few extraordinary moments, the planning, the miles and the occasional stresses of organising a trip like this simply disappeared. We were just a group of people standing together, looking upwards at one of nature’s most incredible spectacles. 🌑✨

And the memories extend far beyond those few minutes. The conversations, laughter, shared meals, journeys, telescopes, cameras, Perseids and simply getting to know everyone who joined us have made this much more than an eclipse trip.

We’ve also seen an enormous amount of France and Spain along the way, sometimes intentionally and occasionally because the road seemed determined to take us somewhere unexpected! 😂

As Saint-Malo disappears behind us this morning, there’s a mixture of tiredness, relief and a real sense of gratitude.

Thank you to everyone who travelled with Dark Sky Wales and trusted us to be part of such an important experience. You helped make the trip what it was, and we hope that when you look back at your photographs and memories in years to come, you’ll remember not only the eclipse but the whole adventure surrounding it.

For us, astronomy has always been about more than telescopes and looking at distant objects. It’s about experiences, places and people — and occasionally travelling a very long way to stand in exactly the right place at exactly the right moment.

This time, we did. ❤️🌑☀️

Poole ➡️ France ➡️ Spain ➡️ Totality ➡️ France ➡️ Saint-Malo ➡️ Home
What a journey.

Clear skies everyone, and thank you for being part of it.

Dark Sky Wales 🔭✨

16/08/2026

🌞🦅 A Once-in-a-Lifetime Eclipse Moment! 🦅🌞

Sometimes, no matter how carefully you plan an astronomical observation, nature decides to add something completely unexpected.

Just as first contact occurred during the Total Solar Eclipse in Spain — the moment the Moon first began to move across the face of the Sun — a vulture passed directly across the solar disc!

For just a fleeting moment, we captured three worlds in a single view: the Sun, the Moon beginning its journey across it, and the unmistakable silhouette of a vulture soaring through the foreground.

It couldn't have been planned. It lasted only seconds. And the timing was extraordinary.

After all the preparation for the eclipse, moments like this remind us why we love observing and photographing the sky. You simply never know what might appear in your field of view.

Right place. Right time. One very cooperative vulture! 🦅☀️🌑

📍 Brihuega, Spain
📅 12 August 2026
🔭 Dark Sky Wales

🌐 www.darksky.wales