Celebrating Our Dark Skies

Celebrating Our Dark Skies

 

As part of the very first Welsh Dark Sky Week 2022, the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB, alongside Wales’ national parks and AONBs, have taken part in an exciting week of celestial events to celebrate our protected dark skies.

The week kicked off with two fascinating online talks; the first from North Wales Dark Sky officer Dani Robertson. Dani led a friendly and informative evening with over 50 attendees, explaining the importance of considerate lighting and impacts on wildlife around Wales. Dani also highlighted the recent work that has taken place at Loggerheads Country Park to provide dark sky friendly lighting in the AONB. Our second talk welcomed PhD researcher Rochelle Meah, as she shared her knowledge about the effects of light pollution on the nocturnal behaviour, navigation and activity of spiders and moths. The informative talk was followed by a wealth of questions from interested viewers, who wanted to learn more about how they could help with conservation.

During the week, a large group of stargazers (unfazed by the cold and wind) took a night time walk to the heather hills of Moel Famau. Carrying roll mats and red light torches, the night sky was far from clear on the walk up due to the passing clouds from recent storms. As the evening continued, the clouds parted and the stargazers were thrilled to see an array of stars and constellations brighten up the sky. Local astronomy enthusiast Rob Jones, dazzled with his knowledge of the constellations and facts of the solar system, even a few shooting stars made an appearance to top off a wonderful evening.

Did You Know?

Wales has the highest percentage of protected dark skies in the World! On average 95% of the three national parks and five AONBs of Wales fall within the highest two categories of dark skies, including our very own Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB.

By protecting our dark skies:

  • We will be protecting our night skies for future generations – Currently only 2% of the UK’s population receives a truly dark sky.
  • It will have a positive impact on the areas biodiversity
  • It will give the local economy a boost during the quieter season
  • It will reduce light pollution and CO2 emissions in the area
  • 60% of our biodiversity depends on darkness to survive.

The inflatable Planetarium made an appearance for an inspiring and informative afternoon at Cilcain Village Hall, just one of our exciting activities for Welsh Dark Sky Week. Inside the dome, over 70 visitors were swept up by the sights and stories of the night sky. Welsh constellation tales were told to the children, who couldn’t keep their eyes off the stars above!

Our final event welcomed nearly 20 local residents to Plas Newydd in Llangollen, to learn about marvellous moths, with the chance to see them up close and personal thanks to the insect traps set up over night! Attendees were also given the opportunity to build their very own bat box to take home to help with the conservation of nocturnal wildlife in the AONB.

During the week we had an incredible 300 individuals sign up to be AONB stargazers, receiving a dark skies information pack and constellation guide to their door. If you would like to pick up a free pack you can continue to collect from the Information Centre at Loggerheads Country Park.

We hope to have helped our community learn, discover and be inspired by the night sky and educate our community on how we can protect our skies in the future. Public events are one of the many ways the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB highlight the importance of the Dark Night Sky and the efforts that are being taken to protect them. In the coming months, the AONB team will be submitting an application to the International Dark Skies Association for formal recognition of the qualities of the night sky. To learn more about the Dark Skies of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley visit our Dark Sky pages to the sidebar on the right.

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