First Dark Sky Discovery Site
Great Orion Nebula M42 taken by Paul Jeanes from his observatory in Washford.
Wimbleball Lake has been nominated to be the first Dark Sky Discovery site on Exmoor and to celebrate there will be a launch at Outdoor + Active Wimbleball on Friday 25 November to which everyone is welcome. The evening will begin at 6pm and end at 8.30pm with stargazers being given the opportunity to stay later to continue watching the heavens if the weather is right.
A number of local astronomy groups will attend and present a series of talks and there will also be telescopes available for people to see the wonders of the night sky for themselves. The event is free and people are recommended to wrap up warmly and bring a torch; refreshments will be provided by South West Lakes Trust .
Exmoor National Park has been designated an International Dark Sky Reserve, the first place in Europe to achieve this prestigious award and only the second in the world. Emma Dennis, Landscape Officer at Exmoor National Park says: "The Dark Sky Discovery project gives us a great opportunity to involve communities in and around the National Park in promoting our award winning dark skies as well as the conservation of the resource for the benefit to local people and visitors alike.
“From a city centre location we might see about 100 stars with our naked eyes, and the further away from the streetlights you go, the better the view becomes. Under a really dark sky we can see over a thousand stars and can even see our own galaxy, The Milky Way, stretching across the sky.”
Wimbleball Lake is a fantastic location for stargazing within the Exmoor National Park International Dark Sky Reserve. Individual or group activities can take place with level hard surfaced areas for setting up your telescope that overlook the scenic lakeside with clear big sky views far from any light pollution. South West Lakes Trust is planning to hold a Star Camp in March 2012. Please contact Wimbleball on 01398 371460 or wimbleball@swlakestrust.org.uk for more information.
Published: 15 November 2011