Stargazing Date Ideas

You may have noticed the solar eclipse on 20th March 2015, which caused excitement across the Nothern Hemisphere, but there are still lots of exciting astronical events to experience with your ‘muddy’ date.

Stargazing in national parks

When you think of our national parks, you probably think of taking a romantic stroll during the day to take in the beautiful scenery. However, many of the national parks now offer stargazing events to help people to understand more about the night sky. It’s a great option for a first date, as you will be in a public place with other people. You can also go for a nice warm drink together afterwards to get to know each other better.

Sleep under the stars

We wouldn’t recommend heading to a cabin in the woods on a first date, but at the stage where you are happy to spend the night together, you could visit one of the National Trust’s ‘Places to sleep under the stars’. If you can identify constellations without the aid of a map, you could show off your skills, alternatively, take a look at Sky and Telescope magazine to find out what to look for. For a really easy option, download an app which will allow you to scan the sky.

There are also lots of resources on the BBC’s Stargazing Live page to help you to get the most out of your experience.

Go to an observatory

There are a number of observatories across the UK and Ireland where you can find out more about the universe in the company of your new date.