In his garden in Harrogate, James Clark looks through a telescope to millions of light years away, almost all the way back to the start of the universe.

He explains why astronomy fires his passion:

“It’s the wonder of the universe and how small we puny humans are I suppose, it makes you realise how irrelevant we are.”

Now retired, Mr Clark grew up on Star Trek and even had Professor Steven Hawking as a lecturer when he studied maths at Cambridge University.

He’s only been stargazing for a year but has already captured an impressive line-up of planets, nebulae and galaxies through his telescope.

He said:

“I’ve never done any photography before but I’ve always been interested in physics. I realised the quality of picture you can get from your back garden as the technology has developed to such an extent. Once I started I was hooked.”

The Whirlpool Galaxy

As well as studying the stars from his garden, he enjoys packing up his equipment and heading out to a remote spot far, far away in the outer reaches of the Harrogate district.

His favourite place is Thruscross Reservoir car park due to its pitch black skies. He said:

“Astronomy is really great for mental health and communing with nature.

“Sitting outside listening to the wild animals and spotting the occasional meteor in a dark sky is just heaven.”

Saturn and Jupiter. Credit – James Clark

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Mr Clark has been inspired by Nasa’s James Webb Space Telescope, which cost billions of dollars and has recently started to beam back lustrous images from space back to earth.

But he said technology for the amateur astronomer is now relatively affordable. He uses the same software as that at Nasa, bought for just a couple of hundred pounds.

“My favourite picture is of the Whirlpool Galaxy, 30 million light years away. We’ve had some printed up and have a few around the house.”

The Moon. Credit – James Clark

He started out using a cheap Canon DSLR but since upgraded to a telescope that cost over a thousand pounds. To help him develop his skills, he interacts with an active community of “astros” on Twitter who support each other.

With so much time spent looking up at the stars, he said he sometimes ponders the age-old question of whether we are really all alone whilst we float in space.

“Absolutely I believe that we are not the only intelligent life out there.”

Whilst most of us are dreading the shorter days and longer nights that come with winter, the budding astronomer is looking forward to being able to spend more time in the darkness, exploring the endless expanse.

The Squid Nebulae. Credit – James Clark

People in the Harrogate district will be given the opportunity to see the solar system and Milky Way from an observatory near Ripon next month and in March.

Lime Tree Observatory at Lime Tree Farm, at Grewelthorpe, is offering a series of tours as part of Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty‘s Dark Skies Festival.

If the weather is clear, telescopes will be available to see the dark nights skies close up.

Nidderdale is home to some of the darkest skies in the country and has four dark sky discovery sites — Thruscross reservoir, Scar House reservoir, Fewston and Toft Gate — which are recognised as excellent and accessible places to stargaze.

Credit: Martin Whipp

Iain Mann, Nidderdale AONB manager, said:

“Our dark skies are part of what makes this landscape so special with the opportunity to see thousands of stars, and even at times, the Northern Lights.

“But this wondrous sight is under threat with increasing light pollution. It also threatens nocturnal wildlife, wastes energy and can even affect our own wellbeing.”

New planeterium coming

Lime Tree Observatory, which has a 24-inch reflecting telescope with a motor driven and a presentation room, is run by volunteers on a not-for-profit basis.

Nidderdale AONB recently awarded the observatory a Farming in Protected Landscapes grant to buy digital projection equipment for its new planetarium, which has been three years in the making.

Built in a converted old hay barn, the planetarium will be six and a half metres in diameter, and is set to open to the public this year.

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The three-year Defra-funded Farming in Protected Landscapes grant programme offers financial support for one-off projects that either support nature recovery, provide better access or engagement with the land, or increases the business resilience of ‘nature friendly’ farms.

Astronomer, filmmaker and volunteer at Lime Tree Observatory, Martin Whipp, said:

“When it opens, the new planetarium will have a real wow-factor. You’ll be able to fly through the Orion Nebula, or witness simulations of galaxies colliding in this immersive experience.”

“The observatory aims to truly engage and inspire the public. Here, children can hold a meteorite that’s four billion years old. It can really fire imaginations. Space offers an exciting platform to learn physics, to inspire art, poetry and philosophy.”

The Dark Skies Festival also offers a chance to canoe under the stars at How Stean Gorge in Lofthouse.

For details and to book for the Lime Tree Observatory, click here.

Tickets are limited and booking essential.

What is Nidderdale AONB?

Nidderdale AONB, which is funded by the government, is an area of 233 square miles located on the eastern flanks of the Yorkshire Pennines stretching from Great Whernside to the edge of the Vale of York.

AONBs are designated in recognition of their national importance and to ensure that their character and qualities are protected for all to enjoy.

The dark sky above the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is one of the most beautiful and darkest in the country.

Being free from light pollution, it is the perfect place for families to stargaze.

Now, visitors to one of the area’s top tourist attractions are being invited to view the stars from a canoe at Scar House Reservoir as part of the seventh Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Park Dark Skies Festival.

How Stean Gorge is hosting a series of activities and pizza nights for the festival, which is returning from February 18 until March 6 after it was forced to go virtual last year due to covid restrictions.

It comes after the Yorkshire Dales National Park was officially granted the status of an ‘International Dark Sky Reserve’ at the end of 2020, making it one of the best places in the world to view the skies above.

Astronomy lovers will be able to glide and paddle a rafted canoe on the reservoir, one of three Dark Sky Discovery Sites in the Nidderdale AONB, surrounded by the moon and the stars.

Tony Liddy, head of outdoor education and estates manager at How Stean Gorge, said:

“Scar House Reservoir is one of the darkest places in the UK because there is no light pollution. When the weather is on your side, you can go up there and it is perfect – flat and calm and not a cloud in the sky.

“We do the trips with small numbers, with 16 for each trip, which last around 90 minutes. Saturdays have been booking up fast, so we have opened bookings for Fridays.

“The canoes are rafted together and you head out in groups of six or eight with an instructor. You can then use a pre-downloaded app on your phone to look at the constellations.

“Children from age seven can do the canoeing, so it’s great to do with the kids. Families often come back and do the other activities at How Stean.”

The canoe trips, which will be weather dependent, will take place in February from 7pm until 8.30pm on Saturday 19, Friday 25 and Saturday 26 and in March on Friday 4, Saturday 5, Friday 11 and Saturday 12.

If the canoeing is unable to go ahead, alternative activities, including gorge walking or caving, will be provided.

An International Dark Sky Reserve (IDA) is defined as a ‘public or private land possessing an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and nocturnal environment that is specifically protected for its scientific, natural, educational, cultural, heritage and/or public enjoyment.’

Other sites that have protected status include the Grand Canyon and Death Valley National Parks in America, Mont-Mégantic National Park in Canada and NamibRand Nature Reserve in Namibia.

For more information and to book click here.