Over 60 people squeezed into the village hall on Friday 12th February and saw the International Space Station pass overhead.
The South Downs National Park's 'Dark Skies' officer, Dan Oakley, gave a very well-illustrated talk and explained where Buriton sits in the recent bid to create an International Dark Skies Reserve: something which is very rare in this country and there are only a handful of locations in the world!
With the weather being too cloudy to set up his huge telescope, Dan entertained the audience by linking planets and constellations to Harry Potter characters - and by stressing that households should adjust their external lights so that they point downwards (not upwards or outwards): his 'Frankie Howard Memorial gesture'!
He then used two impressive computer programmes (details below) to give the audience a tour of the skies above (exactly as it would have been if the clouds had disappeared), timing it just right to see the International Space Station pass overhead and allowing everyone to wave to British astronaut Tim Peake.
Less than 10% of the UK population can see the beauty of a natural night sky full of stars and the south-east of England is the worst area of all.
Light pollution is an increasing problem across the country. It threatens ecologically sensitive habitats and reduces star-gazing opportunities.
With nearly a third of vertebrates and 60% of invertebrates being nocturnal, several species depend on darkness for survival. High levels of light pollution cause them to become disorientated, resulting in decreased reproduction and reduced foraging for food.
As Dan explained, "this isn't just about star-gazing, it's about preserving the night-time environment for the benefit of all the animals, birds and insects that thrive at night."
"Even in the countryside, unnecessary, poorly-aimed and overly bright household security lights can affect the behaviour, mating and feeding patterns of bats, birds, moths and many other species."
Dan offered to come back to Buriton again (perhaps at short notice if clear skies are promised) - and it's possible that visits may be arranged to other places when the Hants Astro Group are at the Clanfield Observatory or at Butser Ancient Farm.
If you would like to be sent an email about future events, please send your contact details to Doug Jones: doug.pam@btinternet.com
The two programmes that Dan used to create his planetarium-like shows were: http://www.stellarium.org/en_GB/ and http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/Download/
Other apps for your phones include SkyView Free and Star Chart with equivalent apps for Androids including SkyView Free, Sky Map and Star Chart.
The special event was part of the community's 'Plan B' programme of work and it is likely that protecting our dark night skies so that families can see so many stars for decades to come will be part of that work.
The Plan B team will be thinking about what to do next at one of its future meetings. Please let Doug have any ideas
To find out more about the National Park Authority's Dark Skies work, visit: www.southdowns.gov.uk/darkskies
