Fildes, 49, is at the forefront of the UK’s growing astrotourism industry. The key moment for Northumberland came in 2013 when the entire national park, about 1,500 square kilometers in area, was awarded Dark Sky Park status, the only one in England. Dark Sky Parks are rare. The 2013 Star Count revealed that only 5% of the UK population can see more than 31 stars on a clear night. The Arizona-based International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) awards the status of Dark Sky Park only to places that take major steps to avoid light pollution. And those areas must also prove their night skies are dark enough. In Northumberland Dark Sky Park, as the area was renamed, it is so dark that Venus casts a shadow on the Earth.
What did the 2013 Star Count find?
That only a small portion of the population could see over 31 stars on a clear night That 5% of the UK population goes out to look at stars That Fieldes is the leading figure in the UK’s astrotourism industry That the UK is one of the best countries in the world for stargazing