Home ❯ What we care about ❯ Nature and landscapes ❯ Dark Skies

Dark Skies

Four people stargazing silhouetted against the milky way

Starry skies are one of the most magical sights the countryside can offer iStock

Starry skies are one of the most magical sights the countryside can offer. Nothing beats looking upwards to see velvety blackness, with twinkling constellations as far as the eye can see.

Our buildings and roads emit light, though, and this can affect our view of truly dark skies. And light pollution doesn’t just spoil our view of the skies – it can also be very bad news for insects and other wildlife.

Staffordshire is home to Cannock Chase. The bad news is that it’s England’s least dark National Landscape (the new name for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty). The good news is that is an oasis of darkness compared to the surrounding built-up areas. We’ve worked with the Cannock Chase National Landscape Partnership to promote the Chase’s dark skies and to produce a Good Lighting Guide.

Star Count 2023

Star Count 2023 took place from 17-24 February 2023.

View the map of results

2026 Dark Skies Event

Our 2026 Dark Skies event took place on Wednesday 25th February at the SWT Wolseley Centre. We invited a local beavers group to join us in creatively exploring the night sky through stories, crafts and adventure. We were joined by Julie, from Fern and Fables who shared magical stories about the stars and night time creatures, and we explored the Wolseley Centre in the dark with bat detectors. Thank you to Cannock Chase National Landscape for funding this event through the Access for All fund.