It's all in the stars!

It's all in the stars! Forest park in Scotland named one of the world's best for stargazing. By day, it is a huge area of dense woodland and rolling hills. But by night, the Galloway Forest Park in Scotland is alight with a plethora of stars.

The park, in southern Scotland, has been recognised for its spectacular views and now named one of the best places in the world to stargaze.

It is the first park in the UK - and indeed Europe - to be awarded the title of Dark Sky Park and one of just four around the globe.

It's in the stars: This image of the night sky above Galloway Forest Park appears circular as it was created with a special 'fisheye' lens. The park has been voted one of the best places for stargazing in the world

The award, presented by the International Dark Sky Association (IDA), recognises the quality of the night sky in the area, where light pollution is minimal.

The pitch-black sky makes it easy to see distant galaxies such as the Milky Way and Andromeda.

Until now, there have been only three other Dark Sky Parks in the world - the Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah, the Cherry Springs State Park in Pennsylvania and the Geauga Park in Ohio.

The IDA said the new addition was a 'fantastic asset' for the network of such parks.

Martin Morgan-Taylor, UK board member for the IDA, said: 'A core aim in creating such a park is to identify and honour protected public lands with exceptional commitment to, and success in implementing, the ideals of dark sky restoration and preservation.

'Its location is ideally situated for access from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast and northern England, meaning that many people, including children, may have access to a quality night sky, both now and in generations to come.

'Such skies are rapidly disappearing and less than 10% of people in the UK can now see the Milky Way from where they live.'

As part of the selection process, the quality of sky above the park was measured using a sky quality meter.

The darkest reading, such as that in a photographer's darkroom, would be 24, while a likely reading in a major city would be 15 or 16. Galloway Forest Park was rated 23 on the scale.

The sky at night: The views from Galloway Forest Park are stunning

While in a city such as Glasgow one would see 500 stars at the most on a good night, above Galloway Forest Park one could expect to see as many as 7,000.

The park, established in 1947, covers 300 square miles (185,329 acres) and is the largest of its kind in the UK, Forestry Commission Scotland said.

Light pollution is kept to a minimum because of the limited number of buildings within the park's boundary.

Forestry Commission Scotland submitted an application for dark sky status six weeks ago, and the IDA decided it merited the award at its AGM in Phoenix, Arizona, over the weekend

Forestry bosses said they were delighted with the result. Keith Muir, Forestry Commission Scotland's head of tourism and recreation in Galloway, said: 'We have boldly gone where no-one in the UK has gone before.

'I'm so pleased that everyone's support and hard work has paid off. The award is a massive feather in Galloway's cap.'

Environment minister Roseanna Cunningham said: 'Understandably all those involved in this innovative project are over the moon and I'm thrilled for them and for Scotland.

'The award is great news for putting Galloway Forest Park firmly in the spotlight and for attracting more tourists to the area.' ( dailymail.co.uk )