Dark Skies over Wigtown

Wigtown Book Festival, which runs from 28 September to 7 October 2012, is all ready to reach for the stars with their ‘Dark Skies’ theme, recognising the fact that the area around Wigtown has some of the darkest night skies in Europe and was recently chosen to become Britain’s first Dark Sky National Park.

The ‘Dark Skies’ strand is part of the Year of Creative Scotland 2012, a 12-month-long events programme showcasing Scotland’s cultural riches on the international stage.  It will look at how the night sky has inspired writers and astronomers throughout the ages.  And there will be hands-on activities for adults and children, not to mention after-dark music and a pop-up planetarium. The Dark Skies designation is an international scheme to promote night tourism and recognise and protect the beauty of places unmarred by light pollution. Further information can be found at www.darksky.org.

Lee Graham of NASA kicks off the ‘Dark Skies’ strand with the first of the Wigtown Lectures on 28 September.  Lee has worked for 30 years on the space station, shuttle and lunar landing programmes, and will be in Wigtown to discuss what has happened to dreams of space exploration since the heady days of the moon landing.  On 30 September, the Astronomer Royal for Scotland John Brown will use humour and conjuring tricks to cut through the fog of figures, enabling us to see the most amazing and alien aspects of the universe in human terms.

A very visual way of considering our dark skies is on offer on 3 October, with the opportunity to enjoy a Drive-in Movie, ‘The City Dark’, which will be shown under the stars in the Galloway Forest Park.  The outdoor showing of this visually stunning film about the loss of true darkness, is the inspiration of Dark Skies Artists in Residence Robbie Coleman and Jo Hodges.

Tickets for the Wigtown Book Festival can be booked online at wigtownbookfestival.com or by phoning 01988 402036.  Ticket prices have either been reduced or held at their 2011 levels.