The Stars & the AuroraStar Lore, Stargazing & the Northern Lights from Scotland
Star stories from Greece to Gaelic Scotland, and the Northern Lights: the science, alerts and where to see them in Scotland and Fife.
40 pages A4 · phone edition 74 pages · full guide coming soon
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About this guide
Every clear night, a free show plays above your head. This guide celebrates the stars and the Northern Lights: the science, the stories people have told about them for thousands of years, and how you can go out and enjoy them from Scotland. And yes, you can see the Northern Lights from Scotland, including Fife, right now.
More about this guide
Part one is the stars: what stars are and how they live and die, constellations and star stories from around the world and from Gaelic Scotland, the North Star, Sirius and star navigation, the stones, tombs and pyramids that point to the sky, and astrology and astronomy, told kindly.
Part two is the aurora in full: the science and the colours, the Sun’s 11-year cycle and why now is a great time to look, Kp and alerts, the best places in Scotland and Fife, seasons, times and photo tips, the “Merry Dancers” and other folklore, great storms from the Carrington Event to Scotland’s red skies, and auroras on other worlds.
Part three is your night sky: dark-sky places in Scotland and Fife, what to see in each season, and easy, joyful ways to enjoy the sky above you, with a jargon buster and sources.
What’s inside
- Suns, far away
- Pictures in the sky, from Greece to the Gaelic west
- The North Star, Sirius and star navigation
- Stones, tombs and pyramids that point to the sky
- Two old friends who went separate ways
- When the Sun touches our sky
- Why now is a great time to look
- How to know when to go out
- The best places in Scotland and Fife
- Seasons, times and photo tips
- Aurora folklore from Scotland and the world
- From the Carrington Event to Scotland’s red skies
- The southern lights and auroras on other worlds
- Dark places and the sky through the seasons
- Easy ways to enjoy the night sky
- Jargon buster, sources and image credits
For general information only. Aurora forecasts are never certain; check a trusted alert service before you head out. Legends and popular ideas are labelled as such, and evidence is sourced inside the guide.
