Whether it’s discovering how bats use echoes to find their prey; posing questions to an astronomer while watching live pictures of the moon; or being amazed at an astronaut’s life during a space mission, this year’s Virtual Dark Skies Festival promises a bumper programme of discovery and entertainment for people of all ages. The Festival, which has gone online this year in the light of current travel restrictions, takes place from 12-28 February with the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks, together with Go Stargazing, lining-up a host of experts to help bring the event into people’s homes.
A new virtual festival is being organised this February to celebrate Northumberland as one of the best places to stargaze and take in the majesty of the Milky Way on a clear night. The festival is being hosted on the Northumberland National Park website and is led by four regional observatories: Battlesteads, Kielder, Stonehaugh and Twice Brewed and will take place from 12–21 February 2021.
The wonders of the night sky will be brought into the nation’s living rooms during this half term (12-28 February 2021) courtesy of a virtual Dark Skies Festival programme created by the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Parks together with Go Stargazing.
The North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks have been designated International Dark Sky Reserves, joining an exclusive global family of Dark Sky Places.
Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority has joined North York Moors National Park Authority and astronomy experts ‘Go Stargazing’ to hold a virtual Dark Skies Week as a taster of the main Dark Skies Festival next February.
Moonlight meanders, Mars watching, Halloween hikes, stargazing and night trail runs are all being lined up for the North York Moors National Park’s first ever Dark Skies Fringe event this October, ahead of the popular annual festival which takes place during February half-term. The Dark Skies Fringe Festival taps into the continuing fascination for stargazing and this year’s resurgence of interest in the natural world, as well as people’s quest for outdoor activities leading into winter.
An astronomy expert, the Open University’s head of astronomy Professor Carole Haswell, who grew up on the coast is boosting the stellar line-up of big names taking part in February’s Dark Skies Festival, which is jointly organised by the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks.
An evening with BBC Sky at Night presenter Professor Chris Lintott will be one of the hot tickets during the 2020 Dark Skies Festival (14 February – 1 March) held jointly by the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks. Other new events include virtual reality space safaris, stargazing sleepovers and more dark sky canoeing and zip wire experiences.
The fifth Dark Skies Festival (14 February to 1 March 2020), held jointly by the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks, will show how much visitors can enjoy the cosmos without leaving planet Earth. New events for 2020 include an evening with renowned astronomy professor Andy Newsam who will reveal how next-generation telescope technology will revolutionise how people can explore the universe from the comfort of their own home.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing, the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Park Authorities will focus on our lunar satellite for the 2019 Festival theme. For 17 days, the National Parks will be filled with activity and awe-inspiring adventure to get you out and exploring our night sky. With more than 50 events planned, the stellar line-up includes moon gazing, photography workshops, exhibitions, film screenings, astronomy talks, planetariums, ghost walks, dark runs, owl prowls and for adrenaline junkies – a pitch black night zip!
The Dark Skies Festival will see the first public screening in the UK of a thought provoking documentary highlighting the enormous impact of light pollution on the world’s population, wildlife and the environment.
Tim O'Brien, a well-known astrophysicist and popular media commentator on space matters, will raise the curtain on next February’s Dark Skies Festival organised by the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks.
Businesses and homeowners across the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales are being urged to take steps to help protect the star quality of the national parks’ dark skies as part of a nationwide campaign to reduce light pollution.
Guardian writer, Lizzy Denning gets front row seats to the Dark Skies Festival as she’s greeted with two shooting stars and ghost walks on her visit to the North York Moors National Park.