Galloway Forest Park awarded prestigious gold statues accolade

The International Dark Skies association has named a Scottish park, Galloway Forest Park, as one of the best stargazing sites in the world. The park was awarded the prestigious title of gold status, one of its highest ranks. It happens to be the only place outside the United States of America to be awarded a dark skies label by the organization.

The Galloway Forest Park lies in the South-western part of Scotland and comprises of a 300 square mile radius. The forest which covers most of the park boasts large conifer trees and hills. The park received this award based on adequate darkness and accessibility to the public. The Forestry Commission, which owns the park, are determined to save it from the effects of light pollution. Hence, the skies are dark and the mass of stars is distinctly visible against the skies every night.

A sky quality metre was used by the International Dark Skies association to test the darkness of the sky. The highest value is 24, which is equivalent to a photographer’s dark room. The reading given for the park was an impressive 23. Since the location of the park is at quite a distance from the major cities, the night clouds were registered to be darker than the night skies. The concept of the dark skies park is all about protecting the dark night skies.

The Galloway park is located conveniently for most amateur astronomers. For enthusiasts from northern England, Northern Ireland and central Scotland, the park is conveniently located. Also the port of Stranraer happens to be located at a favourable distance. Astronomy is one of the main attractions of the park.

The places in the US awarded the similar titles were Utah, Pennsylvania and Ohio.