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| Night sky |
Stargazing at WaterWorks Nature Reserve Lee Valley Regional Park Authority is counting its lucky stars after the WaterWorks Nature Reserve in Leyton, east London was chosen as a Dark Sky Discovery Site where people can come to stargaze. The Nature Reserve in Lammas Road becomes a One Star Site, which means the seven main stars in Orion are visible to the naked eye from the location. The site was also selected to demonstrate that stargazing is as accessible to people in cities as in rural areas. The announcement was made at the national launch of the Dark Sky Discovery England held at the WaterWorks Nature Reserve on Monday (24 October, 2011). Members of the public and guests had access to astronomers, who gave a guided tour of the night sky as well as indoor activities such as visiting the Starlab, an inflatable planetarium and making comets. Greenspace Manager at Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, Martin Page said: "It was very exciting for the Park to host the launch of the Dark Sky Discovery Project. Stargazing is new for Lee Valley Regional Park and complements the work that we do in developing activities to encourage more people to come and enjoy public open spaces and parklands for leisure, recreation and nature." WaterWorks Centre Manager, Angie Oliva said: "It is fantastic news that WaterWorks Nature Reserve is now a designated site for stargazing. It was great having local people of all ages taking part in activities at the launch, including members of the Waltham Forest Blind Association who used sound and touch to experience astronomy. We hope that future events at the centre will be as popular." The project is a pioneering national and regional partnership of astronomy and environmental organisations led by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). WaterWorks Nature Reserve was nominated as a Dark Sky Discovery Site by Professor Hugh Jones from the University of Hertfordshire and Partner for the East Region. He said: "An excellent example of an early partnership that we have established is with Lee Valley Regional Park. The park provides a range of locations with access to dark skies along with good public transport links and other amenities." The project is funding activity in nine English regions so that astronomy and environmental organisations can work with community groups to harness local dark skies for local priorities. Dark Sky Discovery was made possible by £176.8k grant, funded by the Big Lottery Fund and awarded through Natural England's Access to Nature programme, which will support a two-year programme to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to come together in their local area and enjoy the night sky in a radically new way. Working with astronomy, environmental and community organisations in every English region, the aim is to involve people in identifying safe, accessible 'Dark Sky Discovery Sites' - places in urban and rural areas where they can take part in stimulating stargazing sessions. The project is funding activity in nine English regions so that astronomy and environmental organisations can work with community groups to harness local dark skies for local priorities. The project is partnering with the hugely popular BBC Stargazing Live. For more information, please visit www.darkskydiscovery.org.uk |
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