What can you see in the Kerry International Dark Sky Reserve each month?
We can all step outside, look up, and wonder at the beauty and magnitude of the stars twinkling in the darkness above us, but what are we actually looking at?
To help you to navigate the darkness, Kerry Dark Sky Tourism and the LIVE project partnered with John Flannery of the Irish Astronomical Society and other special guests and presented a monthly stargazing guide for residents and visitors Kerry International Dark Sky Reserve. As one of the least light polluted places in the world, the Kerry International Dark Sky reserve received Gold Tier Reserve Status in 2014.
The talks began in June 2021 and finished in June 2022. While the planets move month on month, the stars don't, so you can still use these guides if you are in the Kerry Dark Sky Reserve. Included in the notes are recommendations for guides and apps you can use to find up to date information
The talks were hosted by the LIVE Project and Steve Lynott of Kerry Dark Sky Tourism, with special guests, providing guidance and tips on what to look out for and the best way to see it. Special guests will also provide information on nocturnal wildlife activity and the importance of darkness in the natural world.
The Irish Astronomical Society have created a free celestial calendar for 2022 that you can download and print for free. Access it through Google Drive or download here:
Kerry International Dark Sky Reserve Monthly Stargazing Series:
Series #1 - June 2021 Dark Skies:
View our June stargazing guide, with Steve Lynott, John Flannery and Lucy Taylor here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bewLIRgS7Ps -
Download notes from the talk here:
Series #2 - July 2021 Dark Skies:
View our July stargazing guide with Steve Lynott, John Flannery and Lucy Taylor here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5FskRYagryw
Download notes from the talk here:
Series #3 - August 2021 Dark Skies:
View our August stargazing guide with Steve Lynott, John Flannery and zoologist Linda Lyne on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4X_xEvJ7uvM
Download notes from the talk here:
Series #4 - September 2021 Dark Skies:
View our September stargazing guide with Steve Lynott, John Flannery and marine biologist Jane Sheehan on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hevP1PLpJaA
Download notes from the talk here:
Series #5 - October 2021 Dark Skies:
View our October stargazing guide with Steve Lynott, John Flannery and UCC President Prof. John O'Halloran on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U90RVLMhCc
Download notes from the talk here:
Series # - November 2021 Dark Skies:
This event did not take place
Series #6 - December 2021 Dark Skies:
View our December stargazing guide with Steve Lynott, John Flannery and archaeologist Aoibheann Lambe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68tzO0KABp8
Download notes from the talk here:
Series #7 - January 2022 Dark Skies:
View our October stargazing guide with Steve Lynott, John Flannery and ecologist and photographer Ben Porter on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gdw1sL-x-Os
Download notes from the talk here:
Series #8 - February 2022 Dark Skies:
View our February stargazing guide with Steve Lynott, John Flannery and special guests Dr. Fidelma Butler, UCC and young scientists, Erica Murray O'Brien and Jane Oakley from Loreto Secondary School, Balbriggan on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2CbQC56Ikco
Download John's notes from the talk here:
Series #9 - March 2022 Dark Skies:
View our March stargazing guide on YouTube: with Steve Lynott and John Flannery, and member so the LIVE Project team talking about the upcoming Skellig Coast Dark Sky Festival www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2EJKYOxxow
Download John's notes from the talk here:
Series #10 - April 2022 Dark Skies:
View our April stargazing guide with Steve Lynott and John Flannery on YouTube: https://youtu.be/H7pgRCsRWGI
Series #11 - May 2022 Dark Skies:
View our May stargazing guide on YouTube: with Steve Lynott, John Flannery and special guest marine biologist Jane Sheehan talking about the moon and its influence on our tides. https://youtu.be/U29LYFS3eWI
Series #12 - June 2022 Dark Skies:
View our June stargazing guide on YouTube: with Steve Lynott, John Flannery, and with special guest Kate McAney of the Vincent Wildlife Trust, who will talk about the Lesser horseshoe bat - and why Kerry is a stronghold for this incredible nocturnal mammal.
Additional information:
Steve Lynott is the voluntary manager of the Kerry International Dark Sky Reserve and the founder of Kerry Dark Sky Tourism
John Flannery is a member of the Irish Astronomical Society and is editor of their quarterly journal. He is also active in astronomy outreach and writes for Whitaker's Almanac as well as contributing a monthly column for The Irish Times online. His main interests as an amateur astronomer are the sky lore of world cultures; binocular observing; and astronomical history.
The Irish Astronomical Society - Founded in 1937, the Irish Astronomical Society (I.A.S.) is the longest existing astronomical organization in Ireland. It is a voluntary (non-commercial) organisation established to foster an interest in the wonders of the night sky and the science of Astronomy. Members include both amateur and professional astronomers.
