Dark-sky fans gather on Exmoor to see what light pollution hides

Summary

The UK is the 14th most light-polluted country, but at a dark skies festival in Exmoor national park in south-west England, the light pollution veil is lifted. The astronomer and teacher Jo Richardson says seeing Saturn through a telescope there is 'mind-blowing', citing the planet's distance of about 800 million miles, equivalent to travelling around the Earth 32,000 times.

Timeline

1. The Guardian

   7 Nov 2026, 13:00 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports that the UK is the 14th most light-polluted country, but that at a dark skies festival on Exmoor in south-west England the veil is lifted, with astronomer and teacher Jo Richardson describing the vastness of seeing Saturn through a telescope.