Dani Robertson talks Dark Skies Week in Wales
Cymru. The home of myths and legends, the land of story and song. But did you know that above our rolling hills, stormy seas and chiselled mountains lie some of the darkest skies left in mainland Europe? When the sun sets on our wild west coast, eyes turn to the skies for the spectacle of thousands of stars to begin. The stars themselves can be used to trace Wales’s history and folklore, with names and uses for constellations giving an insight into Wales’s past.
A little over 100 years ago, light pollution didn’t really exist in Wales. An unpolluted night sky was visible and accessible to anyone as soon as they stepped out of their homes in the evening and glance upwards.
To those who tended flocks in the fields, the stars were a constant companion, a reminder of lessons from the land handed down through generations. The workers had a deep understanding of the constellations and their correlations to the changing seasons. The constellation known by its Greek name of Bootes, to the Cymry is Hu Gadarn, the legendary founder of farming in Wales. In the night sky, he is connected to Taurus, or Yr Ych (the Ox).
One folklore tale relating to the founding of Cymru sees Hu Gadarn help shape the nation’s hillsides by taming powerful and mighty oxen, putting them before the plough, changing the way and places we lived in forever. The impact of the stars on our stories is clear.
The Plough is a constellation many will be familiar with, often referred to as the Big Dipper. But in Cymru it can go by many names, including Yr Aradr, the more direct translation of The Plough, and potentially a connection to the same legend regarding the creation of Cymru in its current form? Yr Aradr is actually an asterism (a collection of stars within a much bigger constellation) – Ursa Major, or the Great Bear.
Other names for the Plough change according to where you are in the country. For example, in north west Wales, some communities know it as Sêr y Llong, or The Ship’s Stars. The exact reason behind the name has been lost over time, but some say that the name perhaps links to the Plough being an useful tool for night sky navigation, especially for sailors. Using the Plough, we can navigate ourselves to the North or Pole Star. This star is a crucial point in the night sky, around which all other stars seem to travel, and essential for celestial navigation. In fact, the North Star was still used by those sailing the seven seas until as recently as 1975. Before the days of satellites and GPS, every sailor, from fishing vessels to navy frigates, would have needed an understanding of the night sky, or risk being left to drift directionless across the ocean.
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