Star gazing is an amateur astronomic pursuit where the night sky is explored by amateur astronomers with telescopes and binoculars or even with the naked eye. The night sky gazers take this cosmic view expedition as a serious hobby casting stares at the sky with the interest and inquisitiveness of a space scientist during the Perseid meteor shower, and relish the celestial view of a clear night sky and a myriad of stars and other objects afloat in the galaxy. In the United Kingdom alone there exists a sky gazing reserve known as the Brecon Park, which offers the five best sky watching reserves enlisted here under:
1) USK Reservoir:
This is an outstanding dark sky reserve, an excellent site sheltered from luminosity contamination like smog and fog in the South Wales valley. Blessed with enough parking spaces and readily accessible from the Trestle area, this reserve is a night sky gazers paradise. So long as the sun is up on the sky you can have an outdoor family gathering at the site itself and arrange a feast. As the sun goes down the horizon, you can fix your sky viewing gadgets and telescope and enjoy an unrestricted view of a fogless night sky.
2) CRAI Reservoir:
This site is famous for its pitch black sky inky black eternal sheet overhead touching new height in darkness scale. Although having an excellent sky overhead for a perfect night vision, there are limitations as it is not readily accessible to a careless observer. In the vicinity of the CRAI village, there is a ground for getting an amazing sight of the night sky. There is sufficient parking space and an extension to a paved area just by the side of the main road for car parking.
3) National Park Visitor Centre:
A fantastic site for mounting your telescope and explore the enigma of the night sky. The site is marked from A470 at Libanus village. It presents ready entry of sky watching enthusiasts round the clock. It takes only an hour drive from one of the South Wales valleys. The landscape is fabulous and the general ambiance breathtaking. Shoot your glance at a great night sky overhead and you will be transported to a wonderful cosmic world.
4)Pontsticill Reservoir:
This also is a splendid night sky watching location that could be easily reached from Merthyr Tydfil. Apart from the star gazing tourists this place is also a favorite haunt for angling enthusiasts and picnickers in the day time. However, during the night time it is the dark sky gazers who rule the scene. Mounted telescopes could be seen set up in rows with excited sky watcher putting their stares through the lens. There is an amazing vision of a crystal clear night sky and plenty of car parking spaces situated along the banks of the reservoir.
5)Llangorse Lakes:
This night sky watching reserve is enormously reachable by the amateur astronomic enthusiasts. With a lot of parking space, there is an unrestricted view of the Milky Way and countless heavenly bodies floating aloft visible with the eye unaided by viewing gadgets. It also has an open air quest centre, which has some drifting illumination that meddles a little with this famous night sky watching site. Besides providing the tourist with an amazing night sky watching, the Llangorse Lake has a great milieu and promises fantastic photo opportunities to capture the panoramic view. It is the largest natural lake of its kind in southern part of Wales. Famous for pike fishing and water sports, the lake has got a significant position in the Welsh folk tales.