The Brecon Beacons Dark Sky Reserve is launching its first ever festival from 24 – 26 September.
The Dark Sky Festival is primarily virtual and will feature inspiring online events covering topics ranging from bats to cosmology to the myths and legends of the night sky. Lord Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal and co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary group for Dark Skies will be launching the festival, together with a warm welcome from the National Park’s new Chief Executive, Catherine Mealing-Jones.
The Brecon Beacons National Park is only one of 18 places in the world with dark sky reserve status. The area enjoys light pollution free dark skies which allow viewing of the milky way on clear nights, amongst many other celestial treats.
Festival organiser Carol Williams said, ‘We’re really excited about bringing these events to the public. It will be a real feast for the mind but delivered in an accessible way so the whole family will find something to enjoy. We’ll be exploring topics like, why are we made of stardust, what does planet earth looks like from a far-away galaxy and how you can observe the planets.
‘We hope you will join us and discover the beauty of our night sky from the comfort of your home with your family and friends.’
The festival is suitable for anyone with an interest in the night sky, particularly younger audiences over the age of 10.
Full festival programme:
Time travelling
24th September 11:30 – To gaze up at the stars is to look back into the past, much as Earth bound geologists do today.
Where has the night gone?
24th September 14:00 – This talk explores the mounting challenges bats are facing with the increase in artificial lighting at night and how we can practically mitigate this problem.
A beginner’s guide to observing planets
24th September 19:00 – This guide for absolute beginners will show you how to find and observe planets and what to look out for.
What’s eating the universe?
25th September 10:00 – Award-winning physicist Paul Davies walks us through the puzzles and paradoxes that have preoccupied cosmologists from ancient Greece to the present day.
Welsh myths and legends of the night sky
25th September 14:00 – In this talk Martin Griffiths explores how the Welsh characters and heroes of the Mabinogion and other folk tales are reflected in the night sky.
How stars work
25th September 19:00 – Are other stars like our Sun? If not what are they like – small and peaceful, or large and violent? What makes them the way they are? How long will the Sun be around for and what might happen to it?
The greatest adventure
26th September 12:00 – The Greatest Adventure traces the events of the 20th century; the first satellite in orbit; the first animal, man and woman in space; the first spacewalk; as well as the ultimate US victory in the race to land on the moon.
Meteorites and the story of the solar system
26th September 14:00 – This talk will reveal how the solar system was formed, explain why we are made of stardust and provide some surprising facts about the origin of some familiar materials.
Please visit breconbeacons.org/stargazing for more information and to book. All events are £2 per household.
