Dark Sky Park

A Dark Sky Park or dark-sky preserve is an area kept free of artificial light pollution. The concept is known internationally and because different national organizations have worked independently to create their programmes, different terms have been used to describe the areas, such as reserve, preserve, and park. The International Dark-Sky uses reserve in preference unless an actual park is involved.

"Dark Sky reserves" abroad are frequently used abroad to preserve the darkness of areas around important observatories, to promote astronomy. The concept began in Canada, which has the only established standards for dark-sky preserves. In the United Kingdom the concept is championed by the British Astronomical Association through its ‘Campaign for Dark Skies’, and the areas are self-proclaimed with no specific preservation. Relative darkness is measured on the "Bortle Scale".

Dark-Sky Preserves, Reserves and Parks

Name	County(s)	Area	Bortle Scale	Notes
United Kingdom:
Galloway Forest Park	Kirkcudbrightshire	185,300 acres	3	Designated on 16 Nov 2009
Sark	Bailiwick of Guernsey	1,347 acres	3	Designated on 31 Jan 2011; the IDA's first international dark-sky island
Exmoor National Park	Devon and Somerset			Designated 10 October 2011
Brecon Beacons	Brecknockshire			Designated 19 February 2013
Northumberland National Park	Northumberland	254,500 acres		Designated on 9 Dec. 2013
Coll	Argyllshire (Inner Hebrides)			Designated on 9 Dec 2013
Republic of Ireland:
Iveragh Peninsula	County Kerry			Designated an IDA International Dark Sky Reserve on 27 Jan 2014

Outside links

• British Astronomical Association - Campaign for Dark Skies
• Dark Sky Discovery