The National Parks Dark Skies Festival this year runs from the 18th to 26th February 2017.
During this period there will be numerous activities and events taking place within the North York Moors, Yorkshire Dales and South Downs National Parks. All events are suitable for families and therefore offer a great opportunity to get outdoors and in the fresh air!
The festival coincides with the Spring half-term period and many events are free or negligible cost. There’s plenty of opportunities to keep the kids occupied during the holidays — what better way to get them away from the TV / computer / console than going stargazing!
What’s more the festival also coincides with a new moon period. This means there is no moon in the sky at night time and the skies are at their darkest! Travelling just a little out of town and away from light pollution means you’ll be able to see thousands more stars than you can at home. Seeing the Milky Way arching across the sky from one horizon to another is a sight that will inspire anyone!
Stargazing events will have astronomers on hand to help you find your way around the sky and you’ll be invited to look through telescopes. There’s plenty of daytime activities too! With everything from rocket building, planetarium shows to making aliens and even a Deck Chair Cinema showing kid’s space movies!
Activities vary from park to park however the theme is the same — learn about our Universe and see it for yourself under the dark skies of our National Parks!
A selected handful of stargazing events from the festival appears below. You can find stargazing events close to you using our events map. For more information about the festival visit the Dark Skies Festival website.
North York Moors National Park
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Yorkshire Dales National Park
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South Downs National Park
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