This is Devon --
STARGAZERS will be invited to pack up their tents and sleeping bags and set up an "astrocamp" on Exmoor next year.
When the lighter nights arrive, astronomers will have to wait much longer before they can aim their telescopes skywards to catch a glimpse of the Milky Way or the nine moons of Jupiter.
This is why the South West Lakes Trust, the National Park Authority and experts on the solar system are keen to host the overnight event at Wimbleball Lake so more people can experience the landscape's status as an International Dark Sky Reserve.
Alex Forster, Exmoor area manager for the trust, said: "We want to coincide this with an astronomical event and have talks and lectures here, and people will be able to camp and stay overnight stargazing.
"Hopefully, the astronomical societies in North Devon and Tiverton will be involved as we want to bring together different groups and have knowledgeable people on site.
"It will also be about knowing what to look out for at certain times of the year as some constellations visible now could not have been seen six months ago because of the rotation of the earth."
In 2011, Exmoor was the first location in Europe – and only the second in the world – to secure the Dark Sky Reserve status, an accolade which is awarded to the best places to appreciate the night sky due to a lack of light pollution.
This was celebrated on Saturday, November 9, when Wimbleball Lake hosted the Dark Sky Discoveries event's second birthday.
Despite the appalling weather, nearly 100 people attended and with a mixture of indoor activities on offer "everybody learnt a great deal about astronomy, the negative effects of light pollution, and about Exmoor's reserve status."
Mr Forster added: "It was great to have so many people turn up; children, families, enthusiasts and amateur astronomers all enjoyed the planetarium, workshops, talks and astrological themed stories we had on offer.
"One thing that came across at this event is that the younger generation is really getting into astrology due to people like Professor Brian Cox, and they can also name all of the planets in order from the sun which is amazing.
"We are already planning an astrocamp for 2014 at Wimbleball to coincide with some great stargazing opportunities.
"There are some more Night Sky Reserves now but Exmoor was the first in Europe in 2011, and that was pretty special." Reported by This is 10 hours ago.
STARGAZERS will be invited to pack up their tents and sleeping bags and set up an "astrocamp" on Exmoor next year.
When the lighter nights arrive, astronomers will have to wait much longer before they can aim their telescopes skywards to catch a glimpse of the Milky Way or the nine moons of Jupiter.
This is why the South West Lakes Trust, the National Park Authority and experts on the solar system are keen to host the overnight event at Wimbleball Lake so more people can experience the landscape's status as an International Dark Sky Reserve.
Alex Forster, Exmoor area manager for the trust, said: "We want to coincide this with an astronomical event and have talks and lectures here, and people will be able to camp and stay overnight stargazing.
"Hopefully, the astronomical societies in North Devon and Tiverton will be involved as we want to bring together different groups and have knowledgeable people on site.
"It will also be about knowing what to look out for at certain times of the year as some constellations visible now could not have been seen six months ago because of the rotation of the earth."
In 2011, Exmoor was the first location in Europe – and only the second in the world – to secure the Dark Sky Reserve status, an accolade which is awarded to the best places to appreciate the night sky due to a lack of light pollution.
This was celebrated on Saturday, November 9, when Wimbleball Lake hosted the Dark Sky Discoveries event's second birthday.
Despite the appalling weather, nearly 100 people attended and with a mixture of indoor activities on offer "everybody learnt a great deal about astronomy, the negative effects of light pollution, and about Exmoor's reserve status."
Mr Forster added: "It was great to have so many people turn up; children, families, enthusiasts and amateur astronomers all enjoyed the planetarium, workshops, talks and astrological themed stories we had on offer.
"One thing that came across at this event is that the younger generation is really getting into astrology due to people like Professor Brian Cox, and they can also name all of the planets in order from the sun which is amazing.
"We are already planning an astrocamp for 2014 at Wimbleball to coincide with some great stargazing opportunities.
"There are some more Night Sky Reserves now but Exmoor was the first in Europe in 2011, and that was pretty special." Reported by This is 10 hours ago.