Loch Ness Monster: NASA urged to help with new search

The US space agency has been called upon to participate in a new quest to find Nessie, Britain's most famous monster.

Loch Ness Monster. Credit: Getty

Daniel Graham

Published: May 30, 2024 at 11:56 am

Today marks 90 years since Sir Edward Mountain enlisted a team of 20 workers to go in search of Scotland’s legendary Loch Ness Monster. 

Since the first ‘Watchers of the Monster’ mission, more than 1,000 ‘Nessie’ sightings have been reported on the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register.

Now NASA has been asked to help with a new push to finally answer the question: is Nessie real or mythical?

“We are hoping that experts from NASA might have some advanced imaging technology to scan the loch,” says Aimee Todd from The Loch Ness Centre.

Loch Ness Monster
The Loch Ness Monster is often described as a large, long-necked creature with a humped back. Credit: Getty

To commemorate the 90th anniversary of Sir Edward Mountain’s expedition, The Loch Ness Centre in Drumnadrochit, Scotland, has organised a four-day event (30 May to 2 June) to try and find Nessie. 

"Last year, we captured the world's attention with one of the biggest-ever searches for Nessie,” says Paul Nixon, General Manager of the Drumnadrochit Hotel, “with participants joining us from America, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, and more.

"With unexplained noises heard and possible sightings, this year we are determined to find out more about the elusive Loch Ness Monster."

The Loch Ness Centre is now seeking assistance from NASA, suggesting that the space agency might have some advanced imaging technology that they can use to scan the loch. "We are hoping to reach them (NASA) through the power of social media,” says Todd.

Interviews with eye-witnesses who claim to have seen the Loch Ness Monster. Credit: Getty

NASA isn't the only entity being invited to join the search. The four-day event aims to unite individuals and organisations in a collective effort to solve the monster mystery. Participants will be asked to "keep an eye on the surface, looking for breaks in the water" and will be briefed on what to look for and how to record findings.

Nessie enthusiasts can also embark on a boat trip skippered by Alistair Matheson, during which he and his colleague Mr McKenna will use a 18m-long hydrophone to listen for mysterious sounds from the depths of the loch.

Those unable to join the search in person can participate via live cameras on the Visit Inverness Loch Ness website. 

The four-day event runs from Thursday 30 May to Sunday 2 June. Find out more about how to get involved.

Daniel Graham

Outdoors editor, BBC Countryfile Magazine

Danny is the outdoors editor of BBC Countryfile Magazine, responsible for commissioning, editing and writing articles for the Great Days Out section, which offers ideas and inspiration for exploring the UK countryside. After completing Dartmoor’s Ten Tors challenge as a teenager, walking has shaped Danny’s life. Over the past 15 years he has wandered many great trails, short and long, including a 2,000-mile journey through central Europe, a 500-mile exploration of the Scottish Highlands and, most recently, a 300-mile south-to-north passage through the beautiful mountains and valleys of Wales along the Cambrian Way. He has an unhealthy obsession with maps and has tested hundreds of Ordnance Survey walking routes around the UK, sampling and reviewing boots, rain jackets and the odd pair of socks as he goes.
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