Where to go stargazing in North Yorkshire

THIS is peak season for seeing the sky at night, says North Yorkshire-based astronomer Richard Darn.

"The Milky Way is fantastic in November. It is directly above as night falls. Most people have never seen the Milky Way," says Richard. Nine out of ten people can't see it from where they live; you can't see the stars if you live in the middle of a town because of light pollution from street lamps.

"But it's just obvious when you get somewhere darker like the Moors or Dales," he adds. The national parks are some of the darkest places in England with light meter readings revealing the sky to be filled with as many as 2,000 stars at any one time.

So what does the Milky Way look like?

"It's a river of light," begins Richard, his voice rising and accelerating with enthusiasm. "It looks like an incredible thick jet contrail. In the darkest places, it seems to stretch across the sky, from horizon to horizon."

Clear skies depending, people may be able to see the Milky Way and other astral phenomena at various Dark Skies events Richard will be hosting over the next few weeks.

His next date is on Saturday at West Burton Village Hall then on Saturday December 15, he will be running his first stargazing night in Keld, Swaledale, at the local Resource Centre, to coincide with what he predicts will be one of the best light shows of the year. "There will be a fantastic meteor shower around that night – the Geminid meteor shower. We expect to see lots of shooting stars burning up in the atmosphere. The brighter ones will be seen from central York and Harrogate but in a darker area you will be able to see a lot more. People really like to see things burning up and satellites overhead. It will be an all-action astral event!"

STARS IN HIS EYES: Astronomer Richard Darn at Dalby

Stargazing is more popular than ever, says Richard, who has been running Dark Sky 'parties' since the very first at Dalby Forest in the 1990s. "There is an incredible public thirst for stargazing. We began with 'star parties' at Dalby in 1993 and they became very popular after starting in America in the 1970s and 1980s.

"Since then, astronomy has become quite a sexy subject among all age groups."

In February, the Dark Skies Festival will take place at various national parks, including the North York Moors, the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the Howardian Hills.

"Last year was just fantastic and most events sold out. It will run across half term and next year's will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the moon landing."

Richard never tires of looking into the night sky. Does he have a most memorable stargazing experience?

"I was in Cropton Forest near Pickering in 2001 – and it was a really good space odyssey!" he begins. "The telescope was in the car and it was a two-hour car journey and it was as foggy as heck and I thought I must be absolutely crazy. Then out of nowhere, the sky cleared and became transparent; I almost thought I could touch the stars. Six hours later I was still looking at things. It was a magic night. Time went so quickly.

"Another time I was in Dalby, I was looking at a familiar view when the entire landscape lit up and I could see all the trees across the valley." What Richard was experiencing was the effects of a lump of space rock burning up in the earth's atmosphere. "It created a dazzling white light across the landscape. It was as if someone had just switched the lights on at nighttime."

He has also witnessed the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, from our region, but admits they appear much more subtly than dramatic photos of the phenomena suggest. "They are quite elusive... but you can see them a couple of times each year. They are subtle at first, like a white light pollution, but you sometimes see the tints of green and red. Younger people tend to see more than older people because they have better eyesight.

"If there is a very intense aurora storm you can see the deep colours. Once in a lifetime, you will see these deep greens and a curtain of light dancing."

GREAT SHOW: The Milky Way above the Ribblehead Viaduct

Of course, seeing the theatre of the night sky is weather dependent. Cloud is the enemy of the stargazer, but Richard says Dark Sky events are great fun and very informative whatever the weather.

"You can still see through thin cloud, but we have a plan B as well," reassures Richard. "We always do a very colourful beginners' talk and we can do a virtual tour through a computer program. We hand round space rocks too and people can look at them and ponder that they are four billion years old."

It's certainly not time wasted, insists Richard. "They have a fantastic time – and they are set up for the next clear night; they know what to see."

Also, you don't need fancy equipment to enjoy the sky at night. Richard says: "The naked eye is the best optical instrument. People like to spend time looking through a telescope but under a dark sky you just want to look up at the vast star scape which can be breathtaking. This way, you see as much as possible and not just the narrow view through a telescope."

Go stargazing

Autumn Milky Way: Saturday, November 10, West Burton Village Hall

Geminid Meteor Shower: Saturday, December 15, Keld Resource Centre, Keld

Winter Stars: Saturday, January 12, West Burton Village Hall

Tickets cost £10 for adults and £6 children (over six years old). To book visit: autumnstarsdales.eventbrite.co.uk, or telephone 0775 367 0038, or email richard@richarddarn.com

Richard is also hosting a Dark Sky stargazing and supper event at Simonstone Hall, Hawes, on Saturday, December 1, prices from £38. Find out more at simonstonehall.com.

REVIEW: Stars in their eyes

Catherine Turnbull attends a Dark Skies event at Simonstone Hall in Wensleydale

THE heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park has a "Dark Skies” designation. In an urban area you’ll be lucky to see 20 stars on a clear night but in an area of low light pollution like Wensleydale you could see as many as 2,000.

We gathered in the dining room as astronomer Richard Darn, who has helped establish Britain’s largest Dark Sky Park, gave us a beginner’s guide to the universe in 30 minutes as we passed around 4 billion-year-old rocks from outer space.

“Space starts above your head,” he said. “Always remember to look up.”

After dining on delicious homemade fish cakes and a chicken ballotine, a planetarium tour revealed what stars and planets we should be able to see from Simonstone’s terrace where Richard had set up a telescope.

Outside, however the clouds were thick as blackout curtains. Richard pointed to where the Milky Way and planets were hiding.

We resigned ourselves to looking up another night, armed with the addresses of apps to pinpoint the stars on a cloudless evening and knowledge of the amazing clusters of stars and glittering galaxies you can see with binoculars and a modest £200 telescope. We hunkered down for a cosy time gazing into the flames of a firepit and telling stories.

Just as all seemed lost, a faint glimmer heralded a glimpse of the Milky Way, just where Richard said it was, before it disappeared.

Despite the clouds, the star gazing talk from a knowledgeable enthusiast left us satisfied with possibilities for starry nights to come.