VIDEO: Have you seen the Milky Way from the South Downs?

What does the South Downs National Park have in common with NamibRand Nature Reserve in Namibia and Mont-Megantic in Quebec?
Dark Skies category winner in South Downs National Park Photo Competition - photo by Piers Fearick SUS-160701-140755001Dark Skies category winner in South Downs National Park Photo Competition - photo by Piers Fearick SUS-160701-140755001
Dark Skies category winner in South Downs National Park Photo Competition - photo by Piers Fearick SUS-160701-140755001

The South Downs hopes to soon be able to say that all three beauty spots are International Dark Skies Reserves.

The authority has submitted a bid and hope to hear back from the International Dark-Sky Association in March.

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The bid has been put together with the help of ranger Dark-Skies Dan and aims to give special protection to areas of countryside to allow people to enjoy stargazing.

A South Downs spokesperson said, “If you’ve been following or have covered his work to date you’ll know that if we’re successful we’ll be a very different type of dark skies reserve.

“Unlike other places we can’t simply draw a line around an area with no houses or roads. Dan has had to go out at night and take hundreds of measurements to work out the area which deserves protection.

“But protecting night skies right in the middle of the most populous part of the country would also mean giving many more people access to joys like seeing the Milky Way for the first time.”

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