Dark Skies Festival: Programme of cosmic wonders in North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales unveiled

New art experiences, simulated space walks and a recently-opened constellation trail will all be part of this year’s Dark Skies Festival which takes place between February 9 and 25.

For the festival, many artists have come up with creative ways that people can enjoy the National Parks’ pristine dark skies and be inspired by the experience to create their pieces of art.

The electronic dance poets Claire Hind and Robert Wilsmore will walk with a group after dark along Blakey Ridge before reaching a place to listen to the duo’s creative score, “The Long Dead Stars”, inspired by the North York Moors landscape.

During the return walk, people will be encouraged to write their material using performance writing techniques.

Fans of space travel can experience how NASA uses underground cave systems to help train astronauts by heading to Stump Cross Caverns in Nidderdale and following in the footsteps of a rocket scientist who once spent 105 days in the subterranean environment collating data that helped advance space science.

Parents with younger children can try the new permanent dark skies-themed trail at either Sutton Bank or Danby Lodge National Park Centres where paper and crayons can be used to rub across a series of brass plaques to create images of ten-star constellations such as Orion or Ursa Major.

Derek Twine, Member Champion for Promoting Understanding at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority adds: “While enjoyment and discovery are at the heart of the Festival, it’s also a reminder to us all of the vital need to do everything we can to protect one of nature’s greatest wonders, the night sky, from light pollution so that we can help safeguard the natural world as well as our own health and wellbeing.”

The inclusion of astronomy evenings is integral to the essence of any Dark Skies Festival, and this year, attendees can experience new locations.

Among the new locations are Birkdale Farm situated in Terrington within the Howardian Hills, Ashes Farm near Ribblehead Viaduct, and a weekend affair at Low Mill Outdoor Centre in Askrigg, seamlessly blending stargazing with yoga, hiking, and live music.

Activity-seekers can also join a night run at Reeth or go on a dark skies walking adventure in the company of experienced guides at spots such as Rievaulx Abbey, Robin Hood’s Bay, the Hole of Horcum or over moorland to the mysterious rock formations known as the Wainstones.

Astrophysicist Professor Carole Haswell, who hails from Saltburn, will also be holding an online interactive presentation talking about the latest research and discoveries of worlds beyond Earth.

Phoebe Smith, Marketing Assistant for the North York Moors National Park comments: “This will be the ninth Dark Skies Festival since we organised the first event back in February 2016 and it is safe to say it has now become a popular annual fixture for so many people because of the broad range of events that appeal to all ages.”