At nearly 580 square miles, our dark sky zone, known as Northumberland and Kielder Water and Forest International Dark Sky Park, is the second largest area of protected night sky in Europe, and achieved this status thanks to the International Dark Skies Association, the leading international organisation working to combat light pollution worldwide. Becoming a Dark Sky Park means that our night skies will be kept free from light pollution and we can create more opportunities for people to be inspired by the stars. If you’d like to get involved in conserving our dark skies click here.
It is estimated that 85% of the UK population has never seen a truly dark sky or experienced the sense of wonder that a clear night filled with billions of stars can give! Here at Kielder, the skies can be so dark that the Milky Way and even the planet Jupiter can cast shadows, a phenomenon many have never seen. The CPRE ranks Kielder as the best place to see the stars in the UK.
Kielder Observatory Astronomical Society
Source: Dark Skies
