Dark Sky Park
Test - Northumberland International Dark Sky Park
- Darkness
- Bortle 2 at its core
- Designation
- Gold Tier Park — DarkSky, 2013
- Size
- 1,483 km², the largest in Europe
- Location
- Northumberland, England
The Northumberland International Dark Sky Park covers 1,483 square kilometres of north-east England, taking in the whole of Northumberland National Park and neighbouring Kielder Water & Forest Park. Awarded Gold Tier status by DarkSky International in 2013, it remains the largest area of protected night sky in Europe.
What makes it special is simple: almost nobody lives here. With one of the lowest population densities in England and next to no light pollution, the core of the park sits at Bortle class 2. On a clear, moonless night the Milky Way is bright enough to cast a faint shadow, and its dust lanes are visible to the naked eye.
The skies reward a visit at any time of year, and this far north the aurora is a real possibility on geomagnetically active nights. Kielder Observatory runs guided events throughout the year.
