Seeing stars in

Hunstanton

This year has seen the creation of a community observatory on the clifftop at Hunstanton, which will bring astronomers and stargazers of all abilities to the town.

Hopes are that this new observatory, just north of Hunstanton’s iconic lighthouse, could become a Dark Skies Discovery Site and will attract more visitors to the area in the low season.

King’s Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council and Visit West Norfolk worked with Norfolk County Council’s EXPERIENCE project to build the new single-storey observatory. EXPERIENCE focusses on developing out-of-season, sustainable tourism that benefits and builds the participating regions’ economy, environment, and society.

The night sky is best enjoyed between October and March, otherwise known as ‘stargazing season’, when skies are at their darkest. To enjoy it to its fullest, stargazing is best in an area that has as little artificial light pollution as possible, as this can make many stars (except for the very brightest) difficult to see. It’s also important to consider how bright the moon is as its reflected light can also wash out nearby stars!

Hunstanton Observatory can also be enjoyed in the summer months, especially for the lesser-known solar astronomy. Solar astronomy is the study of our sun and the phenomena that surround it. Solar astronomists have discovered through observing our sun that it has slowly but steadily increased in luminosity by 40% since it first became a main sequence star (a star that is fusing hydrogen in its core and has a stable balance of outward pressure). Special telescopes are needed for solar astronomy due to the sheer brightness of our sun and the damage that it can cause our eyes.

The observatory has a rolling roof which retracts onto supporting posts when in use, leaving a windproof area for stargazers and astronomers to enjoy the beautifully clear skies of Hunstanton. The clifftop location means that there is a completely unobstructed view of the night sky (on a clear night of course!).

Other pre-booked uses for this observatory site by groups could include wildlife classes, an environmental research base, nocturnal photography lessons –and even atmospheric storytelling and similarly creative showcasing of experiences for small groups.

The observatory appearance, designed and built by Outsideology (experienced

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creators of bespoke rolling-roof observatories), is inspired by the beach huts at Hunstanton and is fully solar powered. Outside the main observatory building, there are also ground level pads which can be used as a stable base for telescopes and tripods, and a night sky interpretation panel with built-in giant planisphere (rotating star map) is also on the site. For booking, further enquiries and news about upcoming events at the observatory site please visit www.visitwestnorfolk.com or email publicity@west-norfolk. gov.uk

EXPERIENCE is led by Norfolk County Council and co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Interreg France (Channel) England Programme.