The Great Outdoors


Astronomy A clear night in the Falkland Islands gives the feeling of being in a planetarium. A lack of both light and air pollution, particularly in the Camp, affords spectacular views of the southern night skies. Look out for shooting stars, the International Space Station and the wandering planets against a backdrop of the Milky Way and southern constellations. Experts and amateurs will be impressed by the clarity of the Falkland Islands night skies where even low magnitude stars can still be observed with the naked eye.

The Southern hemisphere has eleven circumpolar constellations including Carina, the keel,  and Centaurus, the centaur with Alpha Centauri, the third brightest star in the sky and the closest star to the Sun. The five main stars that make up the best known circumpolar constellation of the Southern Cross or Crux are easily visible, even in Stanley.

Easy to spot summer constellations include Orion, the hunter, and his dog, Canis Major, with the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius. Northern hemisphere visitors will find Orion "upside down" in comparison to their usual perspective. Winter night skies have Sagittarius and Scorpio with its red heart, Antares. Bring a star map in print or electronic format to make the most of the fantastic night skies.