Marc West joins stargazers at Waddesdon Manor and learns that a surprising number of heavenly bodies can be clearly glimpsed by us lesser mortals...

As if the moonlit approach winding up hill through the trees to finally reveal the North façade of the Neo-Renaissance 17th century French-style chateau wasn’t impressive enough, it was but an amuse bouche to what Mother Nature herself would serve up above our very heads later that night.

Following an animated lecture by Dr Sandy Giles that really got the cogs turning, my eyes were greeted by a smorgasbord of celestial charms to truly dazzle as I stared up into the midnight sky.

Despite light pollution in most urban areas, you can just take a pair of decent binoculars into your own garden and actually get a good look at the mountains and craters of our own Moon this time of year. March is also good for viewing the winter constellations of Taurus, Gemini and Orion – which has a cloudy nebula of new stars being born just below his belt.

But, if you happen to have a 6,000-acre estate without any buildings in sight – as the Rothschild family have on the parterre of their Waddesdon Manor – you can really see some sights… especially with the helpful, enthusiastic and friendly advice of the experts from Wycombe Astronomical Society, who were on hand all night to bring the wonders of above to all who braved the cold, cold night.

When it comes to equipment (so they say), size matters… and the big boys certainly had their big toys on show. But, more impressively, the computer-controlled telescopes can be programmed to identify anything in the sky – a bit like GPS for the galaxy.

The real star of the show is Jupiter and its four moons, which can be seen in exactly the same way as when they were discovered by Galileo in 1610. It’s also possible to look beyond the Milky Way and into our nearest neighbouring galaxy, Andromeda – visible as a faint smudge high up in the west over 2.5 million light years away.

To look up from our green world and consider these facts, one can’t help but consider our place in the grander scheme of things and it’s this that has reignited my boyhood imagination with the wonder of what else could be lurking far, far out there in the darkness… and beyond.

All eyes have been on the skies for the last seven days as societies have been holding observing events for the public to celebrate National Astronomical Week. First held in 1981 to mark the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Uranus, this year focuses on Jupiter – the largest planet in our solar system – which reaches its highest point in the sky for many years this month.

If you fancy having a go at spotting the array of objects gathered in the night sky, there’s an the event this Saturday. Experts from the astronomical society in Abingdon will visit Sunningwell Village Hall from 7pm to assist you in viewing the giant planet and exploring the heavens through a telescope. For details and advance tickets priced at only £2 visit abingdonastro.org.uk and wrap up warm.