Cornwall may not have many shopping centres but it more than makes up for it with dark skies. This means you’ll find it much easier to join in from your window, balcony or garden – but, if you live near any of Cornwall’s top star gazing locations, perhaps you could take your daily walk just after dark and see how many of the four challenges you can complete.

100 Hours Under One Sky is a project led by the International Astronomical Union (IAU)’s Office for Astronomy Outreach and they’re inviting people globally to join them from 2 – 5 October to try four simple stargazing challenges to win badges in their new UK 100 Hours event. Find star patterns and a planet in the night sky.

There is a New Moon on 3 October, so there will be very little moonlight. This will give a dark sky ideal for star-spotting. Look out for the crescent Moon to the left of sunset on 5 October.

Cornwall’s top six spots for star gazing

The best sites are as far as possible from artificial pollution (that’s the towns, basically) so there’s plenty of Cornwall to choose from. You also, ideally, want somewhere higher up so you have a larger/wider horizon.

Carnewas (Bedruthan Steps)

Officially accredited with Dark Sky Discovery status in 2014 (alongside St Agnes) by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) back in 2014, these sites are given the status on the basis of being “accessible and free enough from light pollution to get a good view of the stars”.

St Agnes and Chapel Porth

Both St Agnes and Carnewas are National Trust sites on the north coast, meaning they fulfil the criteria of accessibility and face out away from the land, over the water into the Atlantic, so you can see the stars across the darkness of the sea.

Bodmin Moor

Bodmin Moor is not just an area of outstanding beauty (AONB), it has also been designated an International Dark Sky Landscape by the International Dark-Sky Association. Thanks to very low levels of light pollution, it means Bodmin Moor has some of the darkest skies in the country.

Godolphin Hill

If you’re in West Cornwall, Godolphin Hill has amazing 360 degree clear views. Probably one for teens or more committed stargazers.

The Lizard Point – Kynance Cove

The beauty of a coastal county is that almost any high point of coastline facing out to see is going to give you a good view on a clear night. Star gazers from Cornwall’s Roseland Observatory note that there are proposed Dark Sky areas around Lands’ End, The Lizard, and the Isles of Scilly – and recommend Kynance Cove as a good spot if you’re on the south coast.

West Penwith

Officially recognised with an International Dark Sky Park Designation, awarded by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) in Dec 2021, West Penwith becomes Cornwall’s newest and second International Dark Sky Park (IDSP) and one of only seven in the UK. Stretching from the outskirts of St Ives, through to St Just, Sennen and around Land’s End to Mousehole as well as Trethewey, Sancreed and New Mill inland, there are plenty of places to watch the skies.

Top tips for your Star Count:

The challenge runs 2 – 5 Oct so choose a night.

Pick a clear (or clearest) night ideally with no haze or clouds and after 7pm so the sky is really dark.

Turn off your house lights and let your eyes adjust. Use a red light (like a bike light) if you need one.

Take a few moments to let your eyes adjust.

Look up and complete the challenges.

Look up! Look up! Wherever you are – join the UK 100 hours dark sky challenge

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