WIREDGOV

We may not all be appreciating the extra hour of darkness in the evenings but for thousands of people across the UK this means more time for stargazing! New for this winter are 18 Dark Sky Discovery Sites - great places for observing the sky on a clear night (www.darkskydiscovery.org.uk). 71 such sites now exist in the UK and there are plenty of night sky spectacles to look out for this season. The sites are ideal places for seeing the winter constellation Orion as it rises ever earlier in the Western sky, the Geminids meteor shower on 13 December or even Comet Ison which may become visible to the naked eye in late November.

Dark Sky Discovery is network of astronomy and open space organisations that aims to encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to get out and stargaze. It offers the public the opportunity to meet astronomers and find out about the latest research in the field. In England the network has been supported through a Big Lottery Fund grant awarded through Natural England’s Access to Nature programme.

Each Dark Sky Discovery Site has been nominated by a local group or organisation and approved by the Dark Sky Discovery programme as safe and accessible with reduced light pollution - great local places for seeing the stars. The new sites for this winter include:

• Fort Victoria Country Park on the Isle of Wight
• Durdham Downs in Bristol
• Allendale Golf Club in Northumberland
• Cow Green Reservoir in Cumbria

Dark Sky Discovery leader Dan Hillier from the Science and Technology Facilities Council, said: “Dark Sky Discovery Sites are local stepping stones into the world of astronomy. They are a place where anyone can see the stars, especially when there is a special sight to be seen such as a meteor shower or a bright planet. They offer safe access and great views. Often people in an area get really inspired and nominate several new sites. The latest hot spot is the North Pennines where we now have seven Dark Sky Discovery Sites”.

Events have been organised at a number of Dark Sky Discovery Sites this winter, including:

• Stargazing, talks and how to use your telescope at Sutton Bank National Park Centre in Yorkshire from 6:30 - 8:00 pm on 12 November.
• The ‘Darkness at Derwent’, a stargazing event for all the family at Edmundbyers Village Hall, County Durham on 15 November.
• ‘Astronomy is Easy’ – find out how you can get started in astronomy with a local amateur astronomer at Allendale Golf Club in Northumberland on 7 December.

These events follow a dark sky workshop that was held over the weekend at Wimbleball Lake on Exmoor as the Dark Sky Discovery Site celebrated its second birthday. Activities included a star walk and astronomical storytelling for the kids.

For more details about Dark Sky Discovery Sites in your area see: http://www.darkskydiscovery.org.uk.

For the main constellations in Autumn and Winter see: http://www.darkskydiscovery.org.uk/the_night_sky/index2012.html

For the planets and other details for November see: http://www.popastro.com/skytonight/index.php

For comets: http://www.popastro.com/news/newsdetail.php?id_nw=210

Notes to editors

Contacts

Lucy Stone, Deputy Media Manager, STFC. Tel: 01235 445627. Email: lucy.stone@stfc.ac.uk
Dan Hillier, Visitor Centre Manager, Royal Observatory, Edinburgh.
Tel: 07821 800356. Email: dan.hillier@stfc.ac.uk
Giles Merrit Natural England
Tel: 0300 060 1228
Mob: 07900 608479
Big Lottery Fund Press Office
Tel: 020 7211 1888.

Further Information

About 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 and 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 www.naturalengland.org.uk/accesstonature
• The Big Lottery Fund 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. For further information about the Big Lottery Fund, its programmes and awards visit http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

The new Dark Sky Discovery Sites

For more information please see http://www.darkskydiscovery.org.uk/dark-sky-discovery-sites/map.html

More general information can be found at http://www.darkskydiscovery.org.uk

STFC

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