The night sky has fascinated people for thousands of years and a talk organised by Friends of the Lake District will help reveal some of the mysteries that are out there!

Stuart Atkinson, from Kendal's Eddington Astronomical Society will be in Ennerdale on Monday 17 October for a "Stargazing for Beginners" talk. Stuart will explain what can be seen in the night sky, when it can be seen and what you need to see stars with. Stuart will also explain how light pollution is affecting our view of the many thousands of stars that we should be able to see.

In a 'star count' by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) in January 2011, which Friends of the Lake District contributed to, results showed nationally that people living with severe light pollution has increased from 54% in 2007 to 59% in 2011. In Cumbria, of 55 people taking part in the survey, only 2 reported being able to see more than 30 stars in the Orion constellation (a measure of a truly dark sky), whilst 17 people saw between 20 and 30 stars and 36 people saw less than 20.

Judith Moore, Policy Officer at the Friends said: 'In comparison to many places, the Lake District does have dark skies, but as the research shows even our skies are being affected by light pollution. "See the Stars" will help people understand both the beauty of the night sky as well as what we can do to keep our skies dark.'

The talk is part of a "See the Stars" project run by Friends of the Lake District and funded by the Lake District National Park Sustainable Development Fund. Book a place by contacting Friends of the Lake District on 01539 720788 or emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Tickets are £4 for adults, £2.50 for under 16's and include refreshments. Book a ticket online here. The meeting point will be Bowness Knott car park at 6.30pm.

"See the Stars" is producing a simple guide to star gazing plus working with Wainwrights pub in Chapel Stile, Langdale on a Dark Sky Beer festival on 29 and 30 October. For more information go to www.fld.org.uk.