Dalby Forest is 'Milky Way' class!!

3/01/2013

Its official... the night sky above Dalby Forest is among the best in the country for stargazing. Dalby Forest has earned official recognition from the UK Dark Sky Discovery Network, naming it a Dark Sky Discovery Site.

The 8,600-acre woodland, near Pickering, has been given the top raiting and named as a “Milky Way” class venue for stargazers – due to its lack of light pollution and commitment to popularising astronomy.

It is only the third Dark Sky Discovery Site launched in Yorkshire, and one of a handful in England.

Tanya Rex, from the Forestry Commission, said: “Our relationship with the astronomers goes back over two decades, during which time thousands of people have been able to discover the magnificent starry skies we have here in the North York Moors. Dalby Forest is a truly beautiful place by night and day, and the stars can look staggering on a clear night.”

The late Sir Patrick Moore opened the first observatory in Dalby Forest in 2001, which was eventually replaced by the existing purpose-built astronomical domes in front of the new visitor centre. Scarborough and Ryedale Astronomical Society run monthly stargazing events in the forest and stage one of the UK’s biggest star camps, Starfest, every August.