Sark is chosen as world's first dark sky island

STARGAZERS may be flocking to Sark now that the island has been given a unique classification.

The International Dark-Sky Association has designated Sark as the world's first dark sky island because of the quality of the island's night sky and the absence of light pollution caused by street lighting and brightly lit buildings.

The acknowledgement of Sark's status is seen as having great potential for the island's tourism industry - a point which has been highlighted by the president of the Royal Astronomical Society, Professor Roger Davies.

'This is a great achievement for Sark. People around the world are becoming increasingly fascinated by astronomy as we discover more about our universe. The creation of the world's first dark sky island in the British Isles can only help to increase that appetite'

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