Best Places to View the Moon in Barnet, UK
Barnet is a large, hilly outer-London borough on the northern edge of the capital, with a university observatory at Mill Hill, a long run of open grass at Sunny Hill Park, and part of Hampstead Heath in its south-east corner. The whole borough sits under London's street lighting, so this is a place for moonrises, moonsets and looking at the moon through a telescope rather than stars.
Sunny Hill Park – Hendon
A large, hilly park of 22 hectares, mainly grass, which Barnet Council describes as having extensive views to the north and west. The west is the direction of moonset, so it suits a setting moon more than a rising one. Together with neighbouring Hendon Churchyard it is a Site of Local Importance for Nature Conservation. Check council opening times.
Hampstead Heath Extension – Open All Hours
The open space to the north-west of the main Heath, in Barnet but managed by the City of London as part of Hampstead Heath. The City says the Heath is open 24 hours a day, with no gates that close, which makes it the best-supported night site in the borough. Take a torch, and stay on paths in the dark.
Golders Hill Park – Gardens Beside the Extension
A formal park beside the Extension, also in Barnet and managed by the City of London. Unlike the Heath, it has set hours: it opens at 7.30am and closes between 4.30pm and 10pm depending on the time of year. In summer it suits an evening moonrise, but in winter it closes too early.
UCL Observatory – Mill Hill Telescope Nights
The University College London Observatory, at 553 Watford Way in Mill Hill, holds free public open evenings roughly fortnightly on Fridays in the autumn and winter terms. Weather permitting, visitors look through the Fry 8-inch refractor, which is used for lunar and planetary viewing. Booking is essential, and only about one evening in four is clear.
Welsh Harp – Open Water Shared With Brent
About 170 hectares of open water, marsh and grassland shared between Barnet and Brent, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and Local Nature Reserve. The water gives a wide sky and a reflection when it is still. Follow marked routes, because some areas are restricted, and check access before you go.
Mill Hill Park – Premier Park
A 14.3-hectare park in Mill Hill, one of Barnet's premier parks. It is a good option for an early-evening moon close to the UCL Observatory, which stands nearby on Watford Way but not inside the park. Check council opening times before an evening visit.
Best Times for Moon Photography in Barnet
Quick Photography Tips for Barnet
The moon phase today in Barnet is shown above. For the moon phase today anywhere else, visit the Dynamic Moon Phase Calculator.
What the Experience Actually Feels Like
At Sunny Hill Park, Barnet feels wide and plain in the best way: a big grassy hill, a long western view, and the moon dropping toward the horizon at the end of an evening.
On the Heath Extension, it feels like London's wild edge. The gates never close, the grass runs out in the dark, and the moon hangs over open ground and old trees.
At the UCL Observatory, it feels like astronomy up close: the dome slides open, the old brass-and-glass Fry refractor swings round, and the moon fills the eyepiece.
"A hilltop view west for moonset, an open Heath that never closes, and an old refractor at Mill Hill for a close look at the moon."
Your Barnet Moon Chase Checklist
Before You Go
- Check the moonrise and moonset times and azimuth for your date — a rising moon appears between north-east and south-east, a setting moon between north-west and south-west
- Check access — the Heath is open 24 hours, Golders Hill Park closes between 4.30pm and 10pm, and the UCL Observatory needs a booking
- Check the Met Office for cloud, visibility, wind and rain
What to Bring
- A telephoto lens of 200mm or longer for a tight Moon, and a wide lens for the landscape
- A tripod, and a remote shutter or 2-second timer
- A torch for the Heath at night, and a lens cloth for damp air
- A warm, windproof layer and water-resistant footwear
On the Night
- Focus manually on the Moon's edge
- Bracket exposures — one for the bright disc, one for the darker land
- Stay on paths, and mind wet grass and uneven ground in the dark
- A Green Flag award means well maintained, not open at night — check hours before you go
Barnet Moon Phase — Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is the moon phase today in Barnet?
The moon phase today in Barnet is a New Moon with 0% illumination. The next full moon is in 17 days, on Oct 26. Moonrise is at 5:53 AM and moonset at 5:43 PM.
Q. Where is the best place to view the moon in Barnet?
Sunny Hill Park in Hendon, a 22-hectare hilly grass park with extensive views to the north and west according to Barnet Council, gives the widest sky. The Hampstead Heath Extension and Golders Hill Park, both in Barnet and managed by the City of London as part of Hampstead Heath, add open ground, and the Welsh Harp reservoir, shared with Brent, gives open water for reflections. Mill Hill Park is a 14.3-hectare park, and Cherry Tree Wood is a 5.3-hectare park in East Finchley. For the London skyline, Parliament Hill on the Heath just to the south, in Camden, has protected views.
Q. Can I look at the moon through a telescope in Barnet?
Yes, at the UCL Observatory at 553 Watford Way in Mill Hill, which holds free public open evenings roughly fortnightly on Fridays during UCL's autumn and winter terms, with tours at 6pm and 8pm. Weather permitting, visitors normally get to look through the Fry 8-inch refractor, which the observatory uses for solar, lunar and planetary viewing. Advance booking is essential, the observatory is not open at other times, and the site is not wheelchair-friendly. It is about 800 m from Mill Hill Broadway station, with no car parking at the observatory itself. Only about one evening in four is clear, so sessions can be cloudy or cancelled.
Q. Where does the moon rise and set in Barnet, and how high does it climb?
At about 51.6°N, Barnet's moonrise and moonset points swing widely across the horizon each month, from roughly north-east to south-east for rising and north-west to south-west for setting, with an even wider swing in years near a major lunar standstill. A full moon near the winter solstice climbs to roughly 62° in the south, while a full moon near the summer solstice stays low, peaking near 15°, so it needs a clear view south. Barnet is a hilly borough, so high open ground clears the buildings and trees, and Sunny Hill Park's views to the west suit a setting moon. Check the azimuth for your date and exact spot.
Q. Is light pollution a problem for moon observing in Barnet?
The moon is bright enough to observe and photograph from almost anywhere in Barnet, so light pollution rarely limits the lunar disc itself. It does wash out earthshine on a thin crescent and any faint sky detail. Barnet is an outer north London borough with continuous street lighting, so it is a heavily light-polluted site and stars will be faint wherever you stand, even on the open ground of the Heath Extension. Plan around the moon rather than the stars, and for darker skies you need to travel well beyond London.
Q. What camera settings and phases work best for moon photography in Barnet?
For a full moon, start with Looney 11 (f/11, ISO 100, 1/100 s) and refine using your histogram, since it is a baseline rather than a guarantee. The moon is much brighter than parkland, heath and the town, so shoot RAW and bracket or blend exposures to keep both crater detail and the foreground. A waxing gibbous is useful for blue hour while some daylight remains. For a moon-over-landscape shot, move farther back and use a longer focal length of 200 mm or more, with a sturdy tripod on exposed hilltops and manual focus on the moon's edge using magnified live view, because city lighting can confuse autofocus at dusk. The Welsh Harp's open water can give a reflection when it is still.
Q. How do cloud, wind and mist affect moon viewing in Barnet?
Barnet has a mild, changeable London climate with frequent cloud and rain, so clear lunar windows can be short. Open hilltops such as Sunny Hill Park and the Heath Extension can be windy and colder than the streets, and mist can gather over open water such as the Welsh Harp on cool, still nights. Grass and heath paths can be wet and muddy after rain, so wear water-resistant footwear. Check the Met Office forecast for cloud, visibility, wind and rain before heading out.
Q. What time zone are Barnet's moonrise and moonset times shown in?
Barnet runs on Greenwich Mean Time, UTC+0, in winter and British Summer Time, UTC+1, in summer. Clocks go forward on the last Sunday in March and back on the last Sunday in October, and moonrise and moonset times on this page follow the local clock in effect on each date. Barnet lies at about 0.15°W, very close to the Greenwich meridian on which GMT is based, so clock times track the sun and moon closely.
Q. Can I shoot the moon at Barnet's viewpoints after dark?
Mostly, with limits. The City of London says Hampstead Heath is open 24 hours a day, with no gates that close, but Golders Hill Park opens at 7.30am and closes between 4.30pm and 10pm depending on the time of year. The UCL Observatory is open only on booked open evenings. Check Barnet Council for current opening times at Sunny Hill Park, Mill Hill Park and Cherry Tree Wood before an evening visit, and note that a Green Flag award means well maintained, not open at night. Stay on paths, and take a torch on the Heath at night.
Explore Further
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Blue Hour Calculator
Work out when blue hour falls, ideal for waxing gibbous shots from Sunny Hill Park and the Heath Extension.