Dark Skies on the Isle of Wight

Did you know that from certain points on the Island, you can see constellations of stars?

Through the Dark Wight Skies Initiative the IW AONB is working in partnership with the Vectis Astronomical Society and Campaign to Protect Rural England to achieve international recognition for the Island’s night sky. So what is a dark sky?

Dark Skies are special areas across the world where there are low levels of light pollution. When there is an absence of light pollution thousands of stars are revealed at night, this is beneficial to the wildlife and tranquillity of an area and currently there are 64 Dark Sky areas around the world.

To max out your Isle of Wight stargazing, get as far away from bright lights as possible - so head along the Military Road and park at Compton Bay or at Whale or Brook Chine. You could also try Freshwater Bay or Yaverland Beach and if you're feeling energetic, climb up to Culver Down.

You don't need much to stargaze; a warm coat, some binoculars and maybe a flask of coffee. And if you want to find out more about the stars then there's the Island Planetarium at Fort Victoria and the Vectis Astronomical Society over in Newchurch who open their Observatory to the public.

Happy gazing!