By astronomer Stephen Mackintosh

“I’ve had some fantastic excursions to the Torridon Resort recently, where I host the stargazing and astronomy experiences for guests.

The skies over the Torridon are undoubtedly some of the darkest in Scotland, even surpassing the Cairngorms, where skies are impacted by skyglow from the populated Moray coast. Out here in the wild west there’s almost no skyglow, providing excellent conditions for observing the faint light from distant galaxies, clusters and nebulae.

During recent outings, myself and guests have first dined and discussed the stars in the Library, where I present an informative introduction to the night sky. We’ve also headed into the gardens for brief glimpses of the Milky Way and prominent constellations during dinner, aided by the helpful staff who kill the exterior lights for us.

We always end with a longer trip by van into the hills above loch Torridon, maximising the darkness and allowing the skies to really open up. Out here guests have witnessed the faint light from Andromeda, a spiral galaxy over 2.5 million light years away, and beautiful binocular views of open star clusters like the Pleiades and Hyades.

I’m very much looking forward to more stargazing experiences at the Torridon in the months ahead. Clear skies!”

You can read Stephen’s blog at modulouniverse.com. Or follow his Facebook and Instagram feeds where he posts frequent ‘what’s up’ guides and pointers to the night sky.