EXMOORNational ParkDark Skies Guide

DidYou Know?Light from the sun takes eightminutes to reach Exmoor hereon planet Earth.

If the sun was the same size as thedot on this letter ‘i’, then thenext nearest star would beten miles away.

If you could travel at the speedof light (186,000 miles persecond) it would take 100,000years to cross our galaxy, theMilkyWay.

Here on Exmoor you arespinning at around 714 mphas the Earth turns.At thesame time you are travellingat 67,000 mph as our planetorbits the sun.

Even on the clearest night onExmoor, the human eye canonly see about 3000 stars.Thereare an estimated 100,000,000,000stars in our galaxy alone!

The atmosphere on Earth isproportionately thinner than the skinon an apple

Europe’sFirstInternationalDarkSkyReserveInrecognitionofourdarkskiesandtheworkwearedoingtokeepthemthatwayandhelppeopleenjoythem,ExmoorNationalParkwasdesignatedEurope’sfirstInternationalDarkSkyReserveinAutumn2011bytheInternationalDarkSkyAssociation.

ExmoorNationalParkisrecognisedasoneofthefinestlandscapesintheUK.Itsdeepvalleys,highcliffs,wideopenmoorlandsandclearstreamsprovideinspirationandenjoymenttobothlocalsandvisitors.WhatislesswellknownisthatExmoorisalsoanamazingplacetomarvelatthewondersofthenightskyandoneofthefewplacesinEnglandwherelowlevelsoflightpollutionallowustoexperiencenightskiesthathavesadlydisappearedfrommuchofthecountry.

WhatisaDarkSkyReserve?

LinksIfyouwouldliketofindoutmoreaboutastronomy,thentherearesomegreatresourcesontheinternet,herearejustafew:

�www.darksky.org/

�www.darkskydiscovery.org.uk

�www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/

�astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/

�www.nasa.gov/

�fourmilab.ch/earthview/vplanet.html

�fourmilab.ch/yoursky

�www.esa.int

WhatisLightPollution?Theterm“lightpollution”referstotheadverseeffectofanyartificallightontheenvironment.Itisusuallycharacterisedbytheorange“skyglow”thatisproducedaboveourtownsandcities.Thisiscausedbystreetlightsandglarefromlightingthatspillsbeyonditsintendedlitarea.Weallrelyonartificiallighttoliveourlives,butbadlydesignedlightingwastesenergy,candisruptwildlifeandpreventsusfromenjoyingournightskies.HereonExmoorweareworkingtogethertomakesurethatlightingiswelldesigned,efficientanddoesnotaffectourwonderfuldarkskies.

WhyisitBadforWildlife?Allanimalshaveevolvedwithouttheinfluenceofartificiallight,andmanyofthemarenocturnalsotheyareonlyactiveduringthehoursofdarkness.Birdswhenmigratingandinsectssuchasmothsusethemoonandstarstonavigateinwaysthatwedonotyetfullyunderstand;artificiallightmayconfusethemandmakethismuchharder.Wheninsectsareattractedtoartificiallightsitmaychangehoweasyitisforspeciessuchasbatstofeedonthem.Thisaffectsthenaturalecologicalbalance.Artificiallightmayalsoaffectanimalsbydisruptingtheirabilitytodifferentiatebetweenthehoursofdayandnightleadingtobirdssingingduringthenightunderstreetlights.

DarkSkyReservesareplacesthathaveexceptionallystarryskiesandhavemadeacommitmenttoworktoprotectthem.ExmoorNationalParkAuthority,DevonandSomersetCountyCouncils,landowners,businesses,individualsandcommunitieswithinExmoorhaveallworkedtogethertoreducelightpollutionandarecontinuingtoworktogethertokeepournightsdarkandfullofstars.

Three things to find for beginners.

StagwithMoonmikesherwinphotography.co.uk

StartrailsDavidJRowlattPhotography

Great Orion Nebula M42 taken by Paul Jeanes from hisobservatory in Washford “under the darkest skies.”

BarnowlphotocourtesyoftheExmoorOwl&HawkCentre,Allerford

Coverphoto:AweatheredtreewiththestarrynightskyoverExmoorNationalParkbyBenBirchall

Your guide to gettingthe most from Europe’s

first InternationalDark Sky Reserve

WhynotvisitoneofourthreeNationalParkCentreswhereyouwillfindPlanispheresandarangeofbookstohelpyougetstarted:

DulvertonNationalParkCentre7-9ForeStreet,Dulverton,TA229EXTel01398323841

DunsterNationalParkCentreDunsterSteep,TA246SETel01643821835

LynmouthNationalParkCentreLyndaleCarPark,LynmouthTel01598752509

Interactivemapsandotherinformationarealsoonthedarkskiespageofourwebsite:

www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/dark-skies

There are almost limitless stars, planets,constellations, galaxies, meteors and other objectsto discover - but here are three of the most easilyrecognised features to get you started.

The MoonThe moon, Earth’s only natural satellite and thesecond brightest object in our sky after the sun isa mere 384,400 km away and has fascinatedmankind since the dawn of time. Known as Lunato the Romans and Selene to the ancient Greeks,the moon was often considered a female force incontrast to the masculine sun.The gravitationalpull of the moon draws the oceans’ water towardsit and influences our twice daily tides. Our monthsare based around the approx 28 day cycles of themoon’s phases.The moon makes an ideal startingpoint for astronomy as even fairly basic binocularswill soon reveal the surface pockmarked bymillions of years of meteorite impacts

Orion - The HunterOrion is perhaps the most easy constellation torecognise in the winter skies of the NorthernHemisphere and is visible above Exmoor betweenNovember and February. Named after a greathunter from Greek mythology, he is usuallyrepresented with a belt formed by the threeprominent stars - Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka, alongwith a raised sword and a shield. Orion is veryuseful as an aid to finding other stars. For example,by extending the line of his belt south eastwards youcan find Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.

The PloughAlso known as the Big Dipper, due to itsresemblance to a large ladle, the Plough has beenrecognised as a feature in the night sky bydifferent cultures around the world for countlessyears and is referred to asThe “Seven Stars” in theBible and “The Bear” in Homer’s Illiad. The Ploughis not in itself an official constellation but ratherthe brightest seven stars of the constellation UrsaMajor or Great Bear. Like Orion, the Plough,visible all year round in the Northern Hemisphere,is very useful for navigating the night sky.

EXMOORNational ParkDark Skies Guide

DidYou Know?Light from the sun takes eightminutes to reach Exmoor hereon planet Earth.

If the sun was the same size as thedot on this letter ‘i’, then thenext nearest star would beten miles away.

If you could travel at the speedof light (186,000 miles persecond) it would take 100,000years to cross our galaxy, theMilkyWay.

Here on Exmoor you arespinning at around 714 mphas the Earth turns.At thesame time you are travellingat 67,000 mph as our planetorbits the sun.

Even on the clearest night onExmoor, the human eye canonly see about 3000 stars.Thereare an estimated 100,000,000,000stars in our galaxy alone!

The atmosphere on Earth isproportionately thinner than the skinon an apple

Europe’sFirstInternationalDarkSkyReserveInrecognitionofourdarkskiesandtheworkwearedoingtokeepthemthatwayandhelppeopleenjoythem,ExmoorNationalParkwasdesignatedEurope’sfirstInternationalDarkSkyReserveinAutumn2011bytheInternationalDarkSkyAssociation.

ExmoorNationalParkisrecognisedasoneofthefinestlandscapesintheUK.Itsdeepvalleys,highcliffs,wideopenmoorlandsandclearstreamsprovideinspirationandenjoymenttobothlocalsandvisitors.WhatislesswellknownisthatExmoorisalsoanamazingplacetomarvelatthewondersofthenightskyandoneofthefewplacesinEnglandwherelowlevelsoflightpollutionallowustoexperiencenightskiesthathavesadlydisappearedfrommuchofthecountry.

WhatisaDarkSkyReserve?

LinksIfyouwouldliketofindoutmoreaboutastronomy,thentherearesomegreatresourcesontheinternet,herearejustafew:

�www.darksky.org/

�www.darkskydiscovery.org.uk

�www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/

�astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/

�www.nasa.gov/

�fourmilab.ch/earthview/vplanet.html

�fourmilab.ch/yoursky

�www.esa.int

WhatisLightPollution?Theterm“lightpollution”referstotheadverseeffectofanyartificallightontheenvironment.Itisusuallycharacterisedbytheorange“skyglow”thatisproducedaboveourtownsandcities.Thisiscausedbystreetlightsandglarefromlightingthatspillsbeyonditsintendedlitarea.Weallrelyonartificiallighttoliveourlives,butbadlydesignedlightingwastesenergy,candisruptwildlifeandpreventsusfromenjoyingournightskies.HereonExmoorweareworkingtogethertomakesurethatlightingiswelldesigned,efficientanddoesnotaffectourwonderfuldarkskies.

WhyisitBadforWildlife?Allanimalshaveevolvedwithouttheinfluenceofartificiallight,andmanyofthemarenocturnalsotheyareonlyactiveduringthehoursofdarkness.Birdswhenmigratingandinsectssuchasmothsusethemoonandstarstonavigateinwaysthatwedonotyetfullyunderstand;artificiallightmayconfusethemandmakethismuchharder.Wheninsectsareattractedtoartificiallightsitmaychangehoweasyitisforspeciessuchasbatstofeedonthem.Thisaffectsthenaturalecologicalbalance.Artificiallightmayalsoaffectanimalsbydisruptingtheirabilitytodifferentiatebetweenthehoursofdayandnightleadingtobirdssingingduringthenightunderstreetlights.

DarkSkyReservesareplacesthathaveexceptionallystarryskiesandhavemadeacommitmenttoworktoprotectthem.ExmoorNationalParkAuthority,DevonandSomersetCountyCouncils,landowners,businesses,individualsandcommunitieswithinExmoorhaveallworkedtogethertoreducelightpollutionandarecontinuingtoworktogethertokeepournightsdarkandfullofstars.

Three things to find for beginners.

StagwithMoonmikesherwinphotography.co.uk

StartrailsDavidJRowlattPhotography

Great Orion Nebula M42 taken by Paul Jeanes from hisobservatory in Washford “under the darkest skies.”

BarnowlphotocourtesyoftheExmoorOwl&HawkCentre,Allerford

Coverphoto:AweatheredtreewiththestarrynightskyoverExmoorNationalParkbyBenBirchall

Your guide to gettingthe most from Europe’s

first InternationalDark Sky Reserve

WhynotvisitoneofourthreeNationalParkCentreswhereyouwillfindPlanispheresandarangeofbookstohelpyougetstarted:

DulvertonNationalParkCentre7-9ForeStreet,Dulverton,TA229EXTel01398323841

DunsterNationalParkCentreDunsterSteep,TA246SETel01643821835

LynmouthNationalParkCentreLyndaleCarPark,LynmouthTel01598752509

Interactivemapsandotherinformationarealsoonthedarkskiespageofourwebsite:

www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/dark-skies

There are almost limitless stars, planets,constellations, galaxies, meteors and other objectsto discover - but here are three of the most easilyrecognised features to get you started.

The MoonThe moon, Earth’s only natural satellite and thesecond brightest object in our sky after the sun isa mere 384,400 km away and has fascinatedmankind since the dawn of time. Known as Lunato the Romans and Selene to the ancient Greeks,the moon was often considered a female force incontrast to the masculine sun.The gravitationalpull of the moon draws the oceans’ water towardsit and influences our twice daily tides. Our monthsare based around the approx 28 day cycles of themoon’s phases.The moon makes an ideal startingpoint for astronomy as even fairly basic binocularswill soon reveal the surface pockmarked bymillions of years of meteorite impacts

Orion - The HunterOrion is perhaps the most easy constellation torecognise in the winter skies of the NorthernHemisphere and is visible above Exmoor betweenNovember and February. Named after a greathunter from Greek mythology, he is usuallyrepresented with a belt formed by the threeprominent stars - Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka, alongwith a raised sword and a shield. Orion is veryuseful as an aid to finding other stars. For example,by extending the line of his belt south eastwards youcan find Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.

The PloughAlso known as the Big Dipper, due to itsresemblance to a large ladle, the Plough has beenrecognised as a feature in the night sky bydifferent cultures around the world for countlessyears and is referred to asThe “Seven Stars” in theBible and “The Bear” in Homer’s Illiad. The Ploughis not in itself an official constellation but ratherthe brightest seven stars of the constellation UrsaMajor or Great Bear. Like Orion, the Plough,visible all year round in the Northern Hemisphere,is very useful for navigating the night sky.

EXMOORNationalParkDarkSkiesGuide

DidYouKnow?LightfromthesuntakeseightminutestoreachExmoorhereonplanetEarth.

Ifthesunwasthesamesizeasthedotonthisletter‘i’,thenthenextneareststarwouldbetenmilesaway.

Ifyoucouldtravelatthespeedoflight(186,000milespersecond)itwouldtake100,000yearstocrossourgalaxy,theMilkyWay.

HereonExmooryouarespinningataround714mphastheEarthturns.Atthesametimeyouaretravellingat67,000mphasourplanetorbitsthesun.

EvenontheclearestnightonExmoor,thehumaneyecanonlyseeabout3000stars.Thereareanestimated100,000,000,000starsinourgalaxyalone!

TheatmosphereonEarthisproportionatelythinnerthantheskinonanapple

Europe’s First International Dark Sky ReserveIn recognition of our dark skies and thework we are doing to keep them thatway and help people enjoy them,Exmoor National Park was designatedEurope’s first International Dark SkyReserve inAutumn 2011by theInternationalDark SkyAssociation.

Exmoor National Park is recognised asone of the finest landscapes in the UK.Its deep valleys, high cliffs, wide openmoorlands and clear streams provideinspiration and enjoyment to bothlocals and visitors.What is less wellknown is that Exmoor is also anamazing place to marvel at thewonders of the night sky and one ofthe few places in England where lowlevels of light pollution allow us toexperience night skies that have sadlydisappeared from much of the country.

What is aDark Sky Reserve?

LinksIf you would like to find out more about astronomy,then there are some great resources on the internet,here are just a few:

� www.darksky.org/

� www.darkskydiscovery.org.uk

� www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/

� astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/

� www.nasa.gov/

� fourmilab.ch/earthview/vplanet.html

� fourmilab.ch/yoursky

� www.esa.int

What isLight Pollution?The term “light pollution” refers to the adverseeffect of any artifical light on the environment. It isusually characterised by the orange “sky glow” thatis produced above our towns and cities. This iscaused by street lights and glare from lighting thatspills beyond its intended lit area.We all rely on artificial light to live our lives, butbadly designed lighting wastes energy, can disruptwildlife and prevents us from enjoying our nightskies. Here on Exmoor we are working together tomake sure that lighting is well designed, efficient anddoes not affect our wonderful dark skies.

Why is it BadforWildlife?All animals have evolvedwithout the influence ofartificial light, and many ofthem are nocturnal so they areonly active during the hours of darkness.Birds when migrating and insects such as moths usethe moon and stars to navigate in ways that we donot yet fully understand; artificial light may confusethem and make this much harder.When insects are attracted to artificial lights it maychange how easy it is for species such as bats to feedon them. This affects the natural ecological balance.Artificial light may also affect animals by disruptingtheir ability to differentiate between the hours ofday and night leading to birds singing during thenight under streetlights.

Dark Sky Reserves are places that have exceptionallystarry skies and have made a commitment to workto protect them. Exmoor National Park Authority,Devon and Somerset County Councils, landowners,businesses, individuals and communities withinExmoor have all worked together to reduce lightpollution and are continuing to work together tokeep our nights dark and full of stars.

Threethingstofindforbeginners.

Stag with Moonmikesherwinphotography.co.uk

StartrailsDavid J Rowlatt Photography

GreatOrionNebulaM42takenbyPaulJeanesfromhisobservatoryinWashford“underthedarkestskies.”

Barn owl photo courtesy of the Exmoor Owl & Hawk Centre, Allerford

Cover photo: A weathered tree with the starry night skyover Exmoor National Park by Ben Birchall

YourguidetogettingthemostfromEurope’s

firstInternationalDarkSkyReserve

Why not visit one of our three National ParkCentres where you will find Planispheres anda range of books to help you get started:

Dulverton National Park Centre7-9 Fore Street, Dulverton,TA22 9EXTel 01398 323841

Dunster National Park CentreDunster Steep,TA24 6SETel 01643 821835

Lynmouth National Park CentreLyndale Car Park, LynmouthTel 01598 752509

Interactive maps and other information arealso on the dark skies page of our website:

www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/dark-skies

Therearealmostlimitlessstars,planets,constellations,galaxies,meteorsandotherobjectstodiscover-butherearethreeofthemosteasilyrecognisedfeaturestogetyoustarted.

TheMoonThemoon,Earth’sonlynaturalsatelliteandthesecondbrightestobjectinourskyafterthesunisamere384,400kmawayandhasfascinatedmankindsincethedawnoftime.KnownasLunatotheRomansandSelenetotheancientGreeks,themoonwasoftenconsideredafemaleforceincontrasttothemasculinesun.Thegravitationalpullofthemoondrawstheoceans’watertowardsitandinfluencesourtwicedailytides.Ourmonthsarebasedaroundtheapprox28daycyclesofthemoon’sphases.Themoonmakesanidealstartingpointforastronomyasevenfairlybasicbinocularswillsoonrevealthesurfacepockmarkedbymillionsofyearsofmeteoriteimpacts

Orion-TheHunterOrionisperhapsthemosteasyconstellationtorecogniseinthewinterskiesoftheNorthernHemisphereandisvisibleaboveExmoorbetweenNovemberandFebruary.NamedafteragreathunterfromGreekmythology,heisusuallyrepresentedwithabeltformedbythethreeprominentstars-Alnitak,AlnilamandMintaka,alongwitharaisedswordandashield.Orionisveryusefulasanaidtofindingotherstars.Forexample,byextendingthelineofhisbeltsoutheastwardsyoucanfindSirius,thebrighteststarinthenightsky.

ThePloughAlsoknownastheBigDipper,duetoitsresemblancetoalargeladle,thePloughhasbeenrecognisedasafeatureinthenightskybydifferentculturesaroundtheworldforcountlessyearsandisreferredtoasThe“SevenStars”intheBibleand“TheBear”inHomer’sIlliad.ThePloughisnotinitselfanofficialconstellationbutratherthebrightestsevenstarsoftheconstellationUrsaMajororGreatBear.LikeOrion,thePlough,visibleallyearroundintheNorthernHemisphere,isveryusefulfornavigatingthenightsky.

This map is only intended as aguide. For more detailed mappingwe recommend OS Explorer map

0L9 (Exmoor), available fromNational Park Centres and many

other outlets throughout the National Park.Find walks and more on our new interactive

mapping section online atwww.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/visitor-map

Exmoor

Spring8pm

Autumn8pm

Summer10pm

Winter8pm

CASSIOPEIA

CASSIOPEIA

CASSIOPEIA

CASSIOPEIA

THE PLOUGH

THE PLOUGH

THE PLOUGH

THE PLOUGH

POLARISNorth Star

POLARISNorth Star

POLARISNorth Star

POLARISNorth Star

N N

N N

How to use theStarchartsFace the direction which you think is North andlook up at the night sky, hold this page in front ofyou and find the starchart which relates to thepresent season.

The Plough (or Big Dipper), is the most easilyrecognised group of stars in the Northern sky, it isalways above the horizon.The Plough is always thesame shape but it appears to rotate throughout theyear as the Earth progresses on its orbit.

No matter which way up it is you can always useThe Plough to locate Polaris (which is also knownas the North(ern) Star or Pole Star) which is thebrightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor.Continue an imaginary line between the two stars,Merak and Dubhe thatform the outer edge ofthe Plough’s tip and travelfive times that distance tolocate the Pole Star. If youare facing North then thePole Star should bedirectly in front of you.

Cassiopeia is easily recognised by its distinctive‘W’ shape formed by five bright stars.

Merak

Dubhe

POLARISNorth Star

Stargazing is easy - just go outside on a clearnight and look up.Wherever you are there will besomething to see.However there are some things thatyou can do that will help to make your experiencereally special. We have put together some simple tipsto help you get the best out of your stargazing.

When to goStargazing on Exmoor is an all year-round activity, andany clear night will provide plenty to see. The darkermonths provide longer nights and the chance foryounger astronomers to enjoy some pre-bedtimeobserving. March and April can be particularly goodmonths for observing in the UK, and late summerand autumn often provide the best chance of seeing ashooting star.

Before you go:� Check the time of sunset, and aim to start

observing at least an hour and a half later - toallow the sky to become properly dark.

� As beautiful as the moon is - the best time forseeing the stars is when the moon is not in thesky, as moonlight can make it harder to see thedimmer stars.

What do you need toget started?� Your eyes: It’s a really

good idea to get familiar withthe night sky just using your naked eyes. If youare ready to invest in binoculars or telescopesthen get in touch with your local astronomicalclub or society for expert advice.

� A red torch:Your eyes can take up to tenminutes to fully adjust to the dark and enableyour “night vision” to allow you the best viewsof the stars. During this time avoid looking atany bright lights. Red lights, such as a rear bikelamp, are much better at preserving your nightvision than white lights.

� Starcharts:There are many different resourcesavailable that will show you what you are lookingat - as the position of the stars and planets isconstantly changing with time and location.These include simple star maps, planispheresthat allow you to set the date, and even smartphone apps.

Use the starcharts on the right to get started.They show how the prominent features that youcan see in the northern skies above Exmoor willlook different throughout the year.

And don’t forget that clear nights are often chilly - sowrap up warm and bring a hot drink.

Starcharts

What are ConstellationsandAsterisms?Constellations, like Orion are groups of stars thatappear to be distinctive or form patterns. They areuseful in helping us find our way around the night skyand are often shown with imaginary lines that joinstars and help to make their pattern clearer. Someconstellations have been recognised since ancienttimes and many are associated with mythologicalfigures. In 1925 the International Astronomical Unionformalised the system of accepted constellations intothe 88 that are now recognised. Some groups of starssuch as The Plough are not official constellations butare still recognised as a group and are known asasterisms.

Where to go:Find a place that:

� Is away from the glare of direct lights

� Is open to the public

� Has good sight lines,without tall buildings or trees

� Is safe, without hazards such as traffic or steepdrops.

On the map you will find some places that we thinkare particularly good places on Exmoor to enjoy thenight sky. Generally the further you are fromilluminated built-up areas the darker the sky will beand the more stars you will be able to see.

In the centre of a city, where naked-eye observationis restricted by the effects of light pollution, as few as200 stars may be visible. In a dark sky area likeExmoor, the dark adapted human eye would be ableto see about 3000 stars!

Dark skies above Westermill Farm near Exfordby David J Southern

The night sky overExmoor National Park by Ben Birchall

An Exmoor stargazingevent at Pinkery

TopTips for Stargazing on Exmoor