The South Downs National Park has launched its Dark Skies season, with the starry night sky one of the main attractions.

The season kicked off on Monday, October 30, with a guided night walk and star party at Alice Holt Forest, and will run until February 23, 2024. The park is encouraging people to venture into the darkness to experience the International Dark Sky Reserve.

This year's theme is "glimmers", celebrating those small moments of joy and inspiration many people experience under a starry sky.

Aurora Borealis At Cissbury RingAurora Borealis At Cissbury Ring (Image: Michael Steven Harris) The popular astrophotography competition has returned, with prizes of £100 for the best images.

Photographers can enter the competition from November 4, with four exciting categories: South Downs Dark Skyscapes, South Downs Life at Night, Magnificent Moon, and a Mobile Phone category.

The runner-up prize in each category will be £50. All submitted images must be taken within the South Downs National Park. The deadline for entries to the competition is midnight on Wednesday, January 15, 2025.

Cowdray CosmosCowdray Cosmos (Image: Richard Murray) The Dark Skies Festival will run from February 13 to February 23 next year, with a full programme of events to be unveiled in January.

A series of podcasts are also in the pipeline, focusing on the health benefits of connecting with dark skies, and the not-so-spooky creatures of the South Downs will be highlighted to tie in with Halloween.

These include bats, owls, and moths, along with the bioluminescence of glowworms and the biofluorescence of other life.

This year's Dark Skies season is set to be a celebration of nature and the joy of stargazing.

Heather and Milky WayHeather and Milky Way (Image: Carl Gough) Dan Oakley, a dark skies expert for the National Park, said: "We’re hugely excited to be launching our Dark Skies season and it couldn’t come at a better time with Astronomy Day taking place this October.

"The dark skies of the South Downs really are very special, particularly having this International Reserve in the middle of the busy south east.

"The darkness itself is an incredibly important habitat for wildlife within the National Park and it’s important we help mitigate the effects of light pollution that can damage this by disrupting the natural rhythms of animals and plants."