Cumbria's dark skies allow us to see the natural wonder of the stars, but are also critical for the health of nocturnal wildlife. Sadly light pollution in Cumbria is increasing each year, threatening to obscure our view of the stars and blinding and confusing animals so they can’t feed or find a mate.
We need urgent action now to stop light pollution so we're leading a project to gain ‘Dark Skies Reserve’ status in Cumbria by 2022. Stargazers and wildlife lovers… please help.
Or you can give by text to 70085. Just message DARKSKIES along with your chosen donation amount (eg DARKSKIES 5 to donate £5). Standard message rates apply.
Almost 300 people saw stars at our pop up planetarium events at Ambleside and Rheged, as part of Cumbria's first Dark Skies Festival. Although outdoor events suffered from the weather, indoor events were well attended and public enthusiasm for dark skies is undimmed. Read more
We sat down with Nina Ludgate, owner of Beckfoot Retreat B&B to discuss the festival and what is so special about the Ennerdale valley. Read more
Mark Holroyd, of Forestry England on the benefits of Dark Skies for nature, people and the economy. Read more
Winter is the perfect time to wrap up warm and get out and about to see a Dark Sky spectacular. Like the Three Kings... go and follow the stars! Read more
Get closer to our solar system and take part in an exciting new interactive pop up planetarium event, part of the first Cumbria Dark Skies Festival (21-23 February), a full programme of events for all the family across the three-day celebration of dark skies. Read more
It’s just two short weeks until the very first Cumbria Dark Skies Festival, 21-23 February 2020 and we’ve been working hard to pull together a full programme of events for all the family across this exciting three-day celebration of dark skies. Read more
Winner of 2019 Astronomy Photographer of the Year (People and Space), Ben Bush's tips for photographing stars. Read more
In her blog, Elke Langenbucher, conservation student, talks about the impact light pollution has on wildlife. Read more
Meet Johanna our Dark Skies Project Officer. Passionate about creating a Dark Skies reserve in Cumbria, we chatted to her about what the project means to her. Read more
Cumbrian wild swimmer Bethane Huntley-Peace discovers the fascination of night swimming. Read more