The night sky above parts of Dorset, Wiltshire. Hampshire and Somerset have been designated an international dark sky reserve.

Cranborne Chase has become the 14th reserve across the globe and joins an exclusive club to gain recognition for its dark skies.

The Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) was formally recognised by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) based in Tucson, USA.

“Some people are lucky enough to recognise ‘the Plough’, but for others, seeing stars and their constellations is often impossible because of light pollution. Here in Cranborne Chase we can see the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy, if the clouds allow!” said Linda Nunn, Director of Cranborne Chase AONB.

Adam Dalton, International Dark-Sky Places Program Manager at the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), said: “Cranborne Chase has the largest central area of darkness of any International Dark-Sky Reserve in the UK. It is a huge area of land at almost 1000 sq kms, and less than 2 hours from London and Bristol. For those living and visiting this beautiful area, this is something to be celebrated and enjoyed.”

Linda Nunn, added: “We think of our beautiful landscapes as being on the ground, but 50 per cent of our landscape is above our heads, in the sky. The quality of our night sky is so important and this isn’t just for the benefit of astronomers. There are huge benefits for nocturnal wildlife, our own human health and wellbeing, for education, tourism and for energy saving. We’re thrilled to be playing our part.”

Bob Mizon, who leads the Commission for Dark Skies in the UK and has played a major supporting role in the application, added: “You can’t fail to be amazed by the show the night sky puts on when you’re in Cranborne Chase AONB on a clear night. This dark sky status helps to keep it that way for future generations.”

The Reserve designation can only be given by the IDA to those areas that enjoy exceptional starry skies and have pledged to protect and improve them for future generations.

This is the culmination of over ten years’ work by the Dark Sky project team at the AONB led by Amanda Scott for the last 18 months.

To achieve International Dark-Sky Reserve status, Cranborne Chase AONB was put through a series of stringent checks by the IDA.

Linda Nunn, continued: “We have taken meter readings of the darkness of the night sky for several years and we are hugely grateful to the Wessex Astronomical Society for their support. We must also thank Bob Mizon as we could not have achieved this without his help, or the support of the local authorities and parish councils and we look forward to working with them as we continue to improve our dark skies.

“Although huge amounts of work have already been done to achieve this status, we must continually improve our dark skies. Dark sky friendly schemes with schools, business, parishes and landowners are being developed and Wiltshire Council, which administers two-thirds of the area, has already agreed to upgrade its street lighting. This will make a significant contribution and will help us continually improve our dark sky quality. This is a requirement of the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) to ensure we maintain our exclusive status.”

Cranborne Chase AONB joins a prestigious group of areas around the world that are certified IDA International Dark-Sky Reserves:

  • Aoraki Mackenzie (New Zealand)
  • Brecon Beacons National Park (Wales)
  • Central Idaho (U.S.)
  • Cévennes National Park (France)
  • Exmoor National Park (England)
  • Kerry (Ireland)
  • Mont-Mégantic (Québec)
  • Moore's Reserve (South Downs, England)
  • NamibRand Nature Reserve (Namibia)
  • Pic du Midi (France)
  • Rhön (Germany)
  • Snowdonia National Park (Wales)
  • Westhavelland (Germany)