Join Elinor for a magical night under the stars as she explores the breathtaking dark skies of Bignor Hill, a designated dark sky discovery site.

Elinor is joined by Vicki Wells, a member of the South Downs National Park Authority and a former producer of BBC Sky at Night, for a fascinating conversation about astronomy, dark sky conservation, and the beauty of stargazing.

As the sun sets, they discuss the importance of preserving natural darkness, the wonders of the night sky, and what makes places like Bignor Hill so special for celestial observation.

Whether you're an avid stargazer or just curious about the cosmos, this episode is sure to inspire you to look up and embrace the night!

Remember, if you have a question, comment or suggestion, please email embracethedarkness@southdowns.gov.uk

#SouthDowns #NightSky #DarkSkies #EmbraceTheDarkness #Astronomy #Space

Thank you for listening to ‘Embrace the Darkness’, presented by Elinor Newman.

The podcast is recorded and produced by the South Downs National Park Authority from the South Downs International Dark Sky Reserve.

Music is Orbit by D0d, direct from Uppbeat.

To find out more about the South Downs International Dark Sky Reserve, including the best places to stargaze, go to www.southdowns.gov.uk/DarkSkies

In this week's episode, we teamed up with Francesca Turauskis and Katie Stokes from the Tremula Network - an award-winning, audio-first podcast company dedicated to unheard stories of adventure, nature and the outdoors.

This week's episode was recorded live at the Brighton Seafront Star Party on 22 February - the final event of the 2025 South Downs Dark Skies Festival.

With Elinor having her hands full, Francesca and Katie took the opportunity to chat to those in attendance, finding out what is it about the night sky that inspires them and why events like the Festival are a great way of connecting more people with their dark night skies.

Remember, if you have a question, comment or suggestion, please email embracethedarkness@southdowns.gov.uk

#SouthDowns #NightSky #DarkSkies #EmbraceTheDarkness #Astronomy #Space

Thank you for listening to ‘Embrace the Darkness’, presented by Elinor Newman.

The podcast is recorded and produced by the South Downs National Park Authority from the South Downs International Dark Sky Reserve.

Music is Orbit by D0d, direct from Uppbeat.

To find out more about the South Downs International Dark Sky Reserve, including the best places to stargaze, go to www.southdowns.gov.uk/DarkSkies

In this week's episode, Elinor chats to Dr. Christopher Barnes, a chartered psychologist conducting and supervising doctoral research in the areas of parenting, child development and nature connection.

Following his own 'dark skies epiphany', Dr. Barnes began combining his academic research on child development and nature connectiveness with connectiveness to the night sky.

Together, Elinor and Dr. Barnes discuss the 'Five Pathways' to nature connectedness, with Dr. Barnes sharing fresh insights on recent studies to how our ability to see the night sky impacts our health and wellbeing.

Remember, if you have a question, comment or suggestion, please email embracethedarkness@southdowns.gov.uk

#SouthDowns #NightSky #DarkSkies #EmbraceTheDarkness #Astronomy #Space #Health #Wellbeing #Glimmers #Mindfulness

Thank you for listening to ‘Embrace the Darkness’, presented by Elinor Newman.

The podcast is recorded and produced by the South Downs National Park Authority from the South Downs International Dark Sky Reserve.

Music is Orbit by D0d, direct from Uppbeat.

To find out more about the South Downs International Dark Sky Reserve, including the best places to stargaze, go to www.southdowns.gov.uk/DarkSkies