We’re lucky to live in a Bortle 4 region – an urban/rural transition zone – which means our night skies are dark enough to reveal an incredible view of the stars. Living here offers the perfect blend of accessibility and natural beauty, and it’s a dream for stargazers and photographers alike.
Here are just a few of the stunning night-sky photos captured right here in and around the village:
Click the pictures for a bigger image
The Andromeda Galaxy
The Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31)
The Andromeda Galaxy is a majestic spiral galaxy and the closest major galaxy to our own Milky Way. Located around 2.5 million light-years from Earth, it’s visible from our village skies as a faint smudge on a dark, clear night.
Because of its relative proximity, Andromeda plays a vital role in astronomical research, helping scientists better understand how galaxies form, evolve, and even how our own Milky Way might one day collide with it.
The Orion Nebula
The Orion Nebula (Messier 42)
The Orion Nebula, is a breathtaking diffuse nebula in the constellation Orion. To the naked eye, it appears as the middle “star” in Orion’s sword — but through a telescope, it reveals itself as a glowing stellar nursery, where new stars are being born. This vast cloud of gas and dust lies around 1,344 light-years from Earth and is one of the brightest nebulae visible in our night sky — even from our own village.