Coll & The Cosmos

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30/31 March 2019 and 26th/27th October 2019

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By night, Coll has a naturally unpolluted starry sky – equivalent to Death Valley National Park in the USA – which make it perfect for stargazing. With a sky that dark, many deep sky objects can be seen with the naked eye. Some of these include star clusters like the ‘Beehive’ & ‘Double Cluster’, nebulae like the ‘Great Orion Nebula’ and the ‘Andromeda Galaxy’. The bright band of the Milky Way can also be easily seen arching over the night sky at certain times of the year.

In December 2013, Coll was officially designated as a ‘Dark-Sky Community’ by the International Dark-Sky Association, on account of its dark sky and commitment to minimising light pollution. We are very fortunate on Coll to have such a unique natural environment which makes it such a fantastic location for stargazing. To provide a little context to the meaning of this award, the Isle of Coll was:
• the 1st Dark Sky Community, and Island, – in Scotland
• the 22nd Dark Sky Place to be designated – in the world.

Cosmos Planetarium are based in central Scotland but have collaborated with Coll Bunkhouse to deliver this experience in a location which can truly be described as top-class when it comes to stargazing.

You can read more about the work of Coll’s Dark Sky group, efforts to minimise light pollution on the island and the application to the International Dark-Sky Association using the following link: Coll – A Dark-Sky Island.

[/toggle][toggle title=”The Course” open=”no”]Coll & the Cosmos is a two-day astronomical voyage of discovery, with approximately 10 hours of learning and stargazing activities delivered by our expert astronomers.

No other stargazing short break in the UK offers as wide a range of astronomical equipment, practical hands on instruction in using telescopes and developing observing techniques, combined with the awesome experience of time inside our fully digital immersive planetarium.

With the planetarium, even if it’s cloudy during your stay, we can still give you a virtual tour of the night sky, exactly as it should look that evening. All of this takes place on the Isle of Coll, a real hidden gem amongst Scotland’s Hebridean islands. Now not only can you discover the beauty of the island itself but also experience the wonders of the night sky under some of the darkest sky in Europe.

You can view the full timetable for the weekend here: Course Content

Although Course Content states a 10am start, visitors do have time to check in at their accommodation prior to making their way to the venue.

The course is run subject to minimum numbers (8 people).

[/toggle][toggle title=”Cosmos Planetarium” open=”no”]The course is delivered by James Green and Steven Gray of Cosmos Planetarium. James has a BSc (Hons) in physics is a member of the Institute of Physics and is a keen amateur astronomer. Steven has had a lifelong fascination with the night sky, is also a keen amateur astronomer and solar system imager. Both are members of the British Association of Planetaria and Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society and have many years experience delivering astronomy outreach classes and courses. You can find out more about Cosmos Planetarium via their website.[/toggle][toggle title=”Cost & Further Information” open=”no”]

The course costs £90 for adults and £75 for young people (12 – 17 years).  Accommodation is available at Coll Bunkhouse, from £22 per person per night. Alternative accommodation is available just a few minutes walk away including the Coll Hotel, Tigh na Mara and Dun Fraoch Bed & Breakfasts. Further self-catering accommodation can be found here.

Cancellation policy: if you wish to cancel your attendance on the course, please note that cancellations must be made at least 28 days in advance of the course start date or payment cannot be refunded.

This is an informal course and is first and foremost intended to be fun and as flexible as possible regarding the level of the content. We strongly believe astronomy and science in general should be as accessible as possible for everyone.

Lots of people get telescopes as gifts but never learn how to use them properly, feel free to bring along any equipment you have and we will endeavour to show you how to get the best out of it.

During the evening observing sessions, if the sky is clear remember that it can be very cold so please make sure you pack appropriate winter clothing.

To make the most of the clear sky (if we do get them!) the evening observing sessions can of course be extended. Both James and Steven are very passionate about everything to do with the night sky and will be spending a considerable amount of their nights on Coll looking up!

To book, call now on 01879 230217 or email info@collbunkhouse.co.uk.

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