Starry, starry night
Galloway Forest Park is now officially the first Dark Sky Park in the United Kingdom.
And although it’s a hop, skip and jump away from the north east of England we thought you would want to share in the celebrations and have a look at what most people are missing because of light pollution.
The prestigious award, announced by the International Dark Sky Association (IDA), confirms Galloway as being one of the best places for stargazing in the world.
To achieve the award, Forestry Commission Scotland has worked hard with the local Wigtownshire Astronomical Society, lighting experts and the surrounding community to ensure Galloway’s skies remain pitch black – the best condition for viewing distant galaxies.
Welcoming the announcement, Scottish Government Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham said: “Understandably, all those involved in this innovative project are over the moon and I’m thrilled for them and for Scotland.
“The interest in this initiative has been world-wide. The award is great news for putting Galloway Forest Park firmly in the spotlight and for attracting more tourists to the area. ”
The award marks the culmination of efforts to celebrate the International Year of Astronomy 2009.
Work on achieving Dark Sky Park status began back in September 2008, with a formal application being submitted to the IDA six weeks ago. The final awards were decided at the Association’s AGM being held in Phoenix, Arizona, over the weekend.
Sensational skyies at night in Galloway
Martin Morgan-Taylor, UK board member for the International Dark Sky Association said: “Galloway Forest Park is a fantastic asset in the now international network of Dark Sky Parks.
“A core aim in creating such a park is to identify and honour protected public lands with exceptional commitment to, and success in implementing, the ideals of dark sky restoration and preservation. Galloway has shown exceptional commitment here in the UK, and the team deserves the highest commendation and recognition.
“Its location is ideally situated for access from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast and northern England meaning that many people, including children, may have access to a quality night sky, both now and in generations to come. Such skies are rapidly disappearing and less than 10% of people in the UK can now see the Milky Way from where they live.”
Part of the selection process involved giving a rating via a sky quality meter, which measures the darkness of the sky overhead. The higher the sky quality meter reading the better, with the darkest reading, such aswould be recorded in a photographer’s dark room, of 24. In major cities like Glasgow or Edinburgh, a likely reading would be around 15 or 16 on the scale. Galloway Forest Park was rated 23 on the scale, giving it a gold tier Dark Sky Park award status – the highest achievable
Keith Muir, Forestry Commission Scotland’s head of Tourism and Recreation in Galloway has been involved in the project from the very beginning. “I’m so pleased that everyone’s support and hard work has paid off.
He added: “Tourism is the single largest economic development opportunity for South West Scotland. Currently, the Galloway Forest Park welcomes around 850,000 visitors each year and we have big plans to double this over time. This award, the first of its kind in the United Kingdom, should be seen as a universal achievement.”
Until now, there have been only three other Dark Sky Parks in the world – the Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah, the Cherry Springs State Park in Pennsylvania and the Geauga Park in Ohio – and Galloway Forest Park has now been added to that prestigious list.
Galloway Forest Park is the largest of its kind in the United Kingdom. Hidden away in the South West of Scotland, it was established in 1947. The forest park covers 300 square miles (185,329 acres), that’s about six times the size of Glasgow, and is managed by Forestry Commission Scotland.
With limited numbers of buildings within the forest park’s boundary, light pollution can be kept to a minimum. This in turn helps make Galloway Dark Sky Park the most amazing astronomical place to visit.
