Starstruck! Dark sky park is one of best to see night wonders
It is one of our region's beauty sports – and also one of its darkest. And now the picturesque Elan Valley Estate has created history after winning recognition as one of the best places in the world to spot stars.
The estate, in Rhayader, Powys, has become the world's first privately owned but publicly accessed International Dark Sky Park.
Silver-tier status has been granted by the International Dark Sky Association, based in Arizona, USA.
It means that the 45,000 acre estate, which is run by the Elan Valley Trust, is now protected against light pollution for the benefit of those who live and work there, as well as for visitors and the abundance of wildlife found there.
What makes the Elan Valley Estate's achievement even more remarkable is that all the preparatory work was done in house by two local amateur astronomers, Les and Kris Fry, who have now been given the title of volunteer astronomy rangers.
"It's absolutely amazing how much we have achieved as amateur astronomers," said Kris. "We want to show other people that you don't need to be a big corporate concern to gain Dark Sky status. The common person can also protect their sky from light pollution. We now want to expand the Dark Sky area to cover the whole of the Cambrian Mountains."
The process to become an International Dark Sky Park began in November 2012. Analysis of light readings taken at the site revealed that the estate "possessed exceptional starry skies and natural nocturnal habitat where light pollution is mitigated and natural darkness is valuable as an important educational, cultural, scenic, and natural resource".
