Local stargazers will be hoping for clear night skies next month when a weekend of guided star watching and dark skies observation gets under way.

The Isle of Man Astronomical Society and Onchan Commissioners are hosting three nights of public star gazing at Onchan Park from Friday, January 31 to Sunday, February 2, from 7pm until 9pm each night.

The evening’s stargazing sessions are open for the public to come along and have a closer look at the night sky using telescopes, field scopes, binoculars and other types of equipment provided by members of the Society.

Should the skies remain clear and cloud-free, the experts on hand will be able to point out the many constellations and astronomical sights, such as the Milky Way and the Orion Nebula which, although they are easily visible to the naked eye during winter, are well worth a closer look through specialist equipment.

The society will also hold two solar observation sessions on Saturday and Sunday, from noon to 2pm, where members of the public can observe the sun through specialist equipment.

All of the events are weather dependent and should the weather prevent any chance of seeing the stars, then the event will be cancelled.

The stargazing weekend is free to take part in and open to both adults and children.

More details of the weekend are available from iomastronomy.org