Loch More is located 100 miles (160 km) north of Inverness, Scotland. The 6-kilometer-circumference lake is created by a dam on the River Thurso. An EarthSky user explains the benefits of stargazing at Loch More: “It is a quiet area and being in the North of Scotland has darker skies than anywhere else in the country because we have no major light pollution to the North. The Milky Way shimmers like a band of silver light because it is so dark. Almost all the North coast is about Bortle index 7.5 – 8. Because it’s a rural area, it is never crowded. There is one road that takes you to Loch More. It takes you to the car park and cottage at the North end of the Loch. That car park is where nearly all observing is done. People set up telescopes there. The coordinates should be where the car park and cottage are.”
Deborah Byrd
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About the Author:
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.