Seahorses

Throughout Assynt truly dark skies are readily accessible, allowing us to view the night sky as our ancestors did before the advent of electricity.  As a result, any clear night will give you an opportunity for star-gazing. From late August to early April you may be lucky enough to view the Aurora Borealis - or "northern lights". Lochinver was granted a prestigious "Dark Sky Award" in 2013, receiving the highest class of award, being a place where the Milky Way can easily be seen with the naked eye. 

In summer, when the short nights make ordinary observation almost impossible, another far north phenomenon comes in to play with the advent of noctilucent, or night-shining, clouds.  In the same part of the atmosphere as the aurora is generated, that is from sixty to eighty kilometres up, is a zone impregnated with meteoric dust, where unusual clouds form only visible at night and in high latitudes.  These come in an ethereal, bluish-white colour, illuminated by the rays of the sun shining from over the horizon and untainted by the reds or pinks of sunset.  They often appear for an hour or so on either side of real midnight and, with their crisper, more definite structure compared to ordinary clouds, once seen are never forgotten (taken from Visit Sutherland).

At Seahorses, in the "cupboard under the stairs", you will find an astronomical telescope and tripod which you are very welcome to use.