Nestled in the designated Dark Sky area of the Sperrin Mountains, OM Dark Sky Park and Observatory at Davagh Forest offers a unique indoor and outdoor visitor experience. Inside the building – itself designed in sympathy to the forest surroundings – an engaging and fun visitor experience with hands-on physical interactivity and state-of-the-art digital interventions can be found.

Join OM Observatory for one of their Lunar Moon Observing Sessions on March 6th when the Moon will be 6 days old and just shy of First Quarter, left is an image taken by the astronomer Ian Morrison the of the six day old Moon and shows many of the more interesting features seen at this phase of the Moon including Maria (lunar seas) , Impact craters, Valleys and Mountains.

Looking at the Moon with only your eyes, you see mostly areas of white and gray. These gray patches are solidified volcanic lava flows. In the Moon’s youth, its interior was still molten, and magma would erupt onto its surface. These dark areas formed when massive asteroid or meteorite impacts on the Moon’s surface created basins. Because the impact basins were often the lowest places on the Moon’s surface, they would begin to fill with erupting lava. The lava was similar to the basalt that erupts on Earth and, like on Earth, cooled to form a relatively dark-colored rock. We call these areas the lunar seas, or maria.The lighter-colored areas are called the highlands, and show the earliest crust on the Moon, dominated by a type of rock called anorthosite, which is primarily made up of the white mineral anorthite or plagioclase.

What you see on the Moon with your eyes only will vary depending on your eyesight. Give yourself plenty of time for your eyes to adjust and look carefully.

Ticket event – Online Booking Only from HERE

Price: £10

Links

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If observing is not possible due to weather our alternative programme include

Please be aware that observing is weather dependent. In the event that live observing isn’t possible, there will be alternative, lunar-themed demonstrations and activities in their beautiful observatory.