Science and Technology Facilities Council
 Printable version
|
 E-mail this to a friend
|
Dark Sky Discovery calls for new stargazing sites on 'Stargazing LIVE'
The pioneering Dark Sky Discovery initiative (led by STFC) is inviting the public to nominate the best local stargazing spots to join a growing national network of sites. Millions of viewers last night saw six new Dark Sky Discovery Sites being unveiled on 'Stargazing LIVE', the highly successful BBC Two astronomy show hosted by Professor Brian Cox and comedian Dara Ó Briain. The Dark Sky Discovery initiative also made a nationwide appeal on Stargazing Live - especially to community groups, open space organisations, schools and local astronomy clubs - to nominate the best stargazing spot in their local area.
Dan Hillier, Project Leader of Dark Sky Discovery, says "With just your naked eyes, you can see fantastic sights in the night sky including planets, constellations, meteor showers and space satellites. Most of us, even in towns and cities, probably live no more than a mile or two from somewhere, such as a park or playing field, where we can see these things. And if we travel out of the cities to sites with even darker skies we can revel in really starry skies, perhaps even see the Milky Way. The trick for budding stargazers, in cities or the countryside, is to find a place that has a good blend of low light pollution levels, clear horizons and good public access. These are the places we want to see nominated as Dark Sky Discovery Sites."
The six new sites are:
-
Astrocampus, University of York
-
Barr Beacon, Walsall
-
Cawfields Car Park, Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site, Northumberland National Park
-
INTECH Science Centre and Planetarium, Hampshire
-
Sutton Bank, North York Moors National Park
-
Surprise View, Peak District National Park
The sites have been nominated by a wide range of organisations keen to promote their local dark skies for community, education, tourism and environmental benefits.
Morgan Bowers, Senior Countryside Ranger at Walsall Borough Council says "Barr Beacon Local Nature Reserve is much-loved by Walsall residents, and has been used for astronomy for many years by local astronomers.
All kinds of people from all walks of life, and of all ages and abilities come to astronomy events at Barr Beacon. From retirees, to families, scouts groups, schools and astronomical groups - it's very varied. Some kind of magic happens up there because people from all walks of life and with all kinds of levels of experience begin to talk about the stars, share tips, skills and knowledge with each other. Their enthusiasm is contagious.
We show people how you can begin to enjoy the night sky without having to buy expensive equipment. I think that, historically, people can feel intimidated by science and feel that it is an elite area for scientists, not 'normal people'. That's what's so special about Dark Sky Discovery - it opens the door to the general public."
John Tanner, Research Officer at Peak District National Park says, "Surprise View is a key gateway site to the Peak District National Park, and is a familiar location to many tourists and residents alike. However, most people only know Surprise View because of its amazing panoramic view of the Hope Valley, but the site has much more to offer. Becoming a Dark Sky Discovery Site means that people will be able to experience a whole new panoramic view, that of the Milky Way under a truly dark sky. Helping people to understand what makes the Peak District a special place is what this project is all about."
Some of the sites will be used by astronomers to run regular stargazing events, others are good spots for local people, or tourists, to stargaze by themselves.
People can find out how to nominate their local Dark Sky Discovery Site by visiting their website (link opens in a new window). For a full list of BBC Stargazing LIVE events please visit the BBC Stargazing LIVE website (link opens in a new window).
Dark Sky Discovery is an innovative network of national and local astronomy and open space organisations that helps people to enjoy the night sky. In October 2011, the network launched a project in England, with funding from Access to Nature - a scheme run by Natural England and funded by the Big Lottery Fund, to work closely with a range of community groups to help them choose their local Dark Sky Discovery Site. Natural England's Access to Nature programme is part of the Big Lottery Fund's Changing Spaces programme.
The third episode of BBC Stargazing LIVE will be shown tonight. See the BBC's website (link opens in a new window) for details.
Notes to editors
Launched in October 2011, Dark Sky Discovery is based on the successful Dark Sky Scotland programme which, since 2007, has been enabling thousands of people to enjoy informed, first-hand experiences of astronomy in the company of friends, family and others from their local communities. 12 Dark Sky Discovery Sites have already been unveiled in England, Wales and Scotland - illustrating the range of great local spots that people can use for stargazing and inspiring people of all ages and backgrounds to come together in their local area to enjoy the night sky in a radically new way.
For a list of partners and more information on Dark Sky Discovery Sites across the UK, visit the the Dark Sky Discovery website (link opens in a new window).
Jodrell Bank Observatory (link opens in a new window) in Cheshire is part of the University of Manchester's Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics.
Images are available - please contact the press office for more details.
Contacts
-
Big Lottery Fund Press Office
Tel: +44 (0)20 7211 1888 -
Emma Lusby
Natural England Press Team
Tel: +44 (0)300 060 4231
Mob: +44 (0)7900 608 073
Access to Nature
Access to Nature has awarded a grant of £176.8k to the Dark Sky Discovery initiative.
Access to Nature is run by Natural England and is part of the Big Lottery Fund's Changing Spaces programme launched in November 2005 to help communities enjoy and improve their local environments.
Natural England manages this £28.75 million Lottery-funded programme on behalf of a consortium of twelve national environmental organisations comprising:
-
BTCV
-
British Waterways
-
Environment Agency
-
Forestry Commission
-
Greenspace
-
Groundwork UK
-
Land Restoration Trust
-
The National Trust
-
Natural England
-
RSPB
-
the Wildlife Trusts
-
the Woodland Trust
Through this programme, it is Natural England's ambition to create opportunities for people from all backgrounds to have greater access to our natural environment and bring a lasting change to their awareness and understanding as well as improved links to the natural world, which many of us can take for granted.
Access to Nature closed to applications in May 2010 but for further information about the programme visit their website (link opens in a new window).
The Big Lottery Fund (link opens in a new window) is the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004.
The New Dark Sky Discovery Sites
For more information please visit the Dark Sky Discovery website (link opens in a new window).
