Explore some of the darkest night skies
The big open skies of the North York Moors are breath-taking by day, and also by night when the dark sky panorama is revealed, showcasing a magnitude of stars, planets, moons and more...
In December 2020, we were designated an International Dark Sky Reserve by DarkSky (formerly International Dark-Sky Association), one of only 26 in the world. We're officially one of the best places in the country to see stars, because of the low light pollution levels and clear horizons. From a town or city you'll be lucky to spot more than a handful of stars but the further away you get from street lights, the better the view – in the darkest areas of the National Park you can spy up to 2,000 at any one time.
2026 is your year for stargazing!
Following the success of our Dark Skies Festival in February, join us and the Yorkshire Dales National Park for the Dark Skies Fringe Festival (23 October - 1 November) to explore two incredible International Dark Skies Reserves in the peak of our stargazing season. See the full list of events on our Dark Skies website.
There's never been a better time to visit for a spot of stargazing, stars can be just as beautiful come lighter seasons. We have plenty of Dark Skies Friendly businesses and recommended stargazing spots to enjoy all our night skies have to offer too.
We celebrated our 10th Dark Skies Festival!
In February 2025, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of our incredible Dark Skies Festival, in collaboration with the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The fantastic celebration included a launch event with Dame Maggie Adron-Pocock MBE, many sensational stargazing adventures with our brilliant local businesses, and a 10 years of Dark Skies Festival celebration video, which you can watch on our social media channels.
