In the Elan Valley International Dark Sky Park, darkness falls at around 11.15pm. On 19th May, astro-darkness ends and all-night summer twilight begins, which means the Milky Way and fainter celestial objects becomes more difficult to see. 

An all-sky view of the constellations from 12am in May from in-the-sky.org

Facing south from midnight, you will see the constellations of Virgo, Libra, Boötes and Corvus. Leo and Cancer marches westwards and Gemini begins to set in on the western horizon. The summer constellations of Corona Borealis, Hercules and Lyra are well-placed in the east, with Cygnus, Ophiuchus, Sagitta and Aquila rising on the eastern horizon.

The Full Moon occurs on 12th May and New Moon on 27th May.

The Planets in May

Venus is currently an early morning object, rising at 4.24am at the beginning of the month and 3.25am at the end. You won’t miss it as it appears as a bright star in the east. If you have a telescope to hand, try looking at it before the Sun rises as you will be able to spot this planet in the waxing crescent phase. To see this, you will need a 3-inch telescope at around 120x magnification.

On 1st June, Venus will be at greatest western elongation.

Saturn is a morning object and rises in the east at 4.50am at the beginning of the month and 2.50am at the end.

Jupiter appears low in the western sky and sets at 11.45pm at the beginning of the month and on the 23rd May, can still be seen very low on the north western horizon, setting at 10.30pm. After then, the skies are too bright for it to be seen.

Mars appears high on the south-western horizon at the beginning of the month, setting at around 2.40am on 1st May and 1.30am on 31st May.

Conjunction of the Moon, Venus and Saturn

On 23rd May, for early risers, there will be a conjunction of the Moon, Venus and Saturn all situated low on the eastern horizon. The Moon will appear as a thin waxing crescent and earthshine or ‘ashen glow’ can be seen on its shadowed face.

Spot Lunar X and V

On 5th May, you can spot the Lunar X! This is a special effect created by the sunlight bouncing off the rims of craters of Blanchinus, Purback and La Caille. This can be seen in the early hours of the morning at 1.14am. Scan the southern third of the Moon’s terminator until you see an ‘X’ pop into view. Move northwards along the terminator to nearly halfway up and you will also see a ‘V’ appear in the eyepiece.

Constellation of the Month

Each month, we will feature a constellation and the mythology behind it.

There are 88 IAU recognised constellations in the night sky and around 36 that are observable in the northern hemisphere. Some of the names of the 88 IAU recognised constellations are several thousands of years old.

With the advent of science and rational thinking, and more of a focus on the observable world, stars are no longer used for the farming calendar, for navigation or conveying social or religious values.

Get outside and see if you can spot these constellations. The best time to see each constellation we feature is around 90 minutes after sunset.

Constellation of the Month – Corvus

Corvus is a small constellation which lies low on the southern horizon between March and June.

This trapezium of stars represents the white-feathered crow or raven which belonged to Apollo according to Greek mythology.

Apollo was suspicious about one of Coronis, one of his lovers, and instructed his pet crow to watch over her and guard her from becoming too wayward.

He obeyed, but one day, Coronis fell in love with Ischys, who was mortal but Corvus failed to prevent this. He reported this to Apollo, who became furious and scorched his feathers black as punishment – creating a legend of the origin of why corvids have black plumage.

The Babylonians also associated this constellation with MUL.UGA.MUSHEN, associated with Adad, the god of rain and storms.

The ‘Star Gate’ Asterism

RA: 12 h, 35 m, 59 s | DEC:  -12° 03′ 09″
An asterism is a collection of stars that are formed into a familiar pattern – this is how we learn the constellations of the night sky. Some asterisms are created just for fun and can add a bit of light relief when searching for fainter objects. Some resemble numbers, letters, jewellery, a coat hanger and even a stargate!

Situated between the constellations of Corvus and Virgo, this asterism’s shape is unusually geometric and was recently named after the fictional stargate in the 70s science fiction television program ‘Buck Rogers in the 25th Century’. This isn’t an open star cluster as there are vast distances between the five stars and are not in the same ‘neighbourhood’.

This asterism comprises six stars and are between 285 and 486 light years away.

Credit: Mark Johnston

Use your small telescope and 100x magnification and higher to spot this asterism.

Noctilucent Cloud Season Begins

This month heralds the beginning of Nocilucent Cloud season, commencing around the 23rd May.
Also known as ‘Night Shining Clouds’, or polar mesospheric clouds, these are composed of tiny ice crystals and sit from 47-53 miles high up in our atmosphere.

The sun sets above 16 degrees below the horizon and some of that light shines into the sky all night (astro-twilight). That light will also illuminate these clouds which lie on the northern horizon and shimmer with an ethereal light.

The best time to see these is between 90 to 120 minutes after sunset or 90 to 120 minutes before sunrise.

The cause of these clouds is still being debated, but recent studies have explored the effects of Space Shuttle exhaust emissions, dust particles from micro-meteors or volcanoes and even a recent increase of methane emissions reaching the upper atmosphere; the molecules then producing water vapour contributing to the cloud displays

All you need to observe these are your dark-adapted eyes and warm clothing. To keep an eye on the forecasts, visit www.spaceweather.com and keep up with user updates.

Credit: Slava Auchynnikau at unsplash

The post Eyes on the Night Sky – May 2025 appeared first on Elan Valley.

Book your place now

Meet at the Elan Estate Office for 2pm. SN931649

What3Words: ///barefoot.quibble.wager

The post Elan Meadows Summer Stroll appeared first on Elan Valley.

See www.elanvalleyleisure.co.uk/kayaking for further information and to book.

Tuesday 5 August, 2.00pm – 4.30pm

The post Guided Kayaking Sessions appeared first on Elan Valley.

See www.elanvalleyleisure.co.uk/kayaking for further information and to book.

Tuesday 29 July, 10.00am – 12.30pm & 2.00pm – 4.30pm

The post Guided Kayaking Sessions appeared first on Elan Valley.

See www.elanvalleyleisure.co.uk/kayaking for further information and to book.

Saturday 14 June, 10.00am – 12.30pm & 2.00pm – 4.30pm

The post Guided Kayaking Sessions appeared first on Elan Valley.

See www.elanvalleyleisure.co.uk/kayaking for further information and to book.

Thursday 17 April, 10.00am – 12.30pm & 2.00pm – 4.30pm

The post Guided Kayaking Sessions appeared first on Elan Valley.

Mared Carrod, Harp

Julie Carrod, Poem Reading

Nantgwyllt Chapel Of Ease marks its 125th anniversary in 2025. Overlooking the Garreg-Ddu Reservoir, the chapel was built at the same time as the original dams and replaced the medieval church which was submerged with the rest of the village. It was one of the last buildings designed by Stephen Williams of Rhayader.

Join us for an uplifting afternoon of song, music and spoken word.

Tickets £10.00 Available from church members and at the visitor centre.

Proceeds to Nantgwyllt Chapel Of Ease. If you are unable to attend, please consider a donation instead via the Church In Wales website.

The post Nantgwyllt Chapel Anniversary Concert appeared first on Elan Valley.

Join us for a day celebrating our precious woodlands at the Elan Valley. Experience demonstrations of traditional woodland skills including blacksmithing, leather tanning, and horse logging. Take part in a guided walk through the woodland, indulge in forest bathing, and discover more about our Celtic Rainforest.

This project is funded by The Woodland Investment Grant (TWIG) scheme. It is being delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with the Welsh Government.

Find out more

The post Celtic Rainforest Festival appeared first on Elan Valley.

Follow the directions on your Expedition Sheet, track down the hidden Easter eggs with clues, and claim your Easter prize at the end.

What’s included:

• Driving Map – Navigate the Elan Estate with ease
• Expedition Sheet – Your guide to finding the hidden eggs
• Pencil – To jot down your clues along the way

This activity is designed for children and families, but adults are more than welcome to join in the fun too!

£2.50 per child

The post Epic Elan Easter Expedition appeared first on Elan Valley.

Explore Cnwch Woods and complete the scavenging quest to claim your prize!

The trail should take about 40 minutes so make sure you get back in time to receive your gift. The trail follows the Blue Route Walk and is wheelchair and pushchair friendly.

£3.00 per child

The post Easter Scavenger Trail appeared first on Elan Valley.