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"The night skies at Kelling Heath are stunning"
That's the view of Mark Thompson - Chairman Norwich Astronomical Society.
Visitors to the Kelling Heath Holiday Park in North Norfolk may have noticed the stunning night skies the Park has to offer.This has certainly been noticed by UK astronomers and to take advantage of this, they organise a yearly star party which is attended by hundreds of astronomers from all over the country.
Situated in the heart of the North Norfolk countryside, Kelling Heath is well away from any intrusive lighting allowing the Park to enjoy some of the darkest sites in the country.Kelling Heath plays its part in keeping light pollution to a minimum by the sensitive use of night time lighting.Astronomers recognise that light is needed for safety as do the owners of Kelling Heath, but both also recognise the impact poor lighting can have on the night sky and strive to help protect it for future generations.
For many people across the country, artificial lighting shines up into the sky and bounces off tiny particles in the atmosphere (from industrial activity) and scatters the light back down to the Earth, as light pollution.This has the effect of brightening the night sky, rendering many fainter objects invisible. Indeed for a vast proportion of the population, it is not possible to see the glorious site of the Milky Way arching overhead.
Because Norfolk is a rural county, industrial activity is sparse.Pollutants pumped into the air from such installations can lead to a serious reduction in the clarity of the night sky.As a result, clear night skies at Kelling Heath allow visitors an unrivalled view of the night sky for this part of the UK.Campers will be able to marvel not only at the Milky Way (the combined light from the millions of stars in our Galaxy) but will be able to search around the many dark rifts from huge interstellar dust clouds, search out elusive galaxies they have never seen before and enjoy crystal clear views of our planetary neighbours.
Kelling Heath is one of the best in the country for astronomy where the night sky is a precious and cherished part of the camping experience and is being protected for all to enjoy.
Links:
www.starparty.org.uk
Norwich Astonomical Society
BBC night sky
BBC night sky pollution
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