Wonder at the stars from the comfort of your own home as Northumberland festival take place online

A stargazing team is preparing to bring the wonder of the night sky to online audiences during February half term as part of the Northumberland Dark Skies Festival.
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The Northumberland observatory, which is attached to The Twice Brewed Inn near Hadrian’s Wall, is taking part in the inaugural festival, which will be inviting people to log on for a series of virtual-only events, due to the current Covid-19 restrictions.

Wil Cheung, who heads up The Twice Brewed’s astronomy team, has scheduled a number of special Facebook live sessions designed to bring the wonders of the night sky to life for stargazers of all ages and abilities during the school holidays.

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Having re-launched their popular socially distanced stargazing packages from March 2021 onwards (government restrictions permitting), Wil hopes that the online events will serve as an engaging introduction for everyone who logs on.

Starry skies at the Twice Brewed Inn.Starry skies at the Twice Brewed Inn.
Starry skies at the Twice Brewed Inn.

He said: “It’s great that Northumberland is getting its own Dark Skies Festival – and although it’s obviously frustrating that the events have to be conducted online this year, I’m finding that people are really enjoying getting involved with live virtual stargazing sessions.

“We’ve already had a lot of interest in bookings for the stargazing evenings at The Twice Brewed later in the year.

“Of course, we’re at the mercy of Government restrictions, but because we’re able to put a socially distanced set up in place - with each household bubble group can have their very own telescope for the whole evening – we’re hopeful we will be able to welcome stargazers of all ages back in the not too distant future.”

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Stargazing sessions are available to book all the way through to December with options including overnight stays and supper packages also available.

Astronomer Wil Cheung.Astronomer Wil Cheung.
Astronomer Wil Cheung.

But before that, there will be four sessions from The Twice Brewed as part of the Northumberland Dark Skies Festival.

Introduction to Astronomy, February 15 at 7pm. Visit the public Facebook event page for more information and to log onto the event: https://fb.me/e/KLCMFHlV

Aurora in Norhumberland, February 16 at 7pm. Log on: https://fb.me/e/2naQZRtOc

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Northumberland Dark Sky Park: Places to visit, February 18 at 7pm. Log on: https://fb.me/e/1RHqilkfh

Stargazing at Twice Brewed.Stargazing at Twice Brewed.
Stargazing at Twice Brewed.

Moon Watch, February 21 at 9pm. Log on: www.facebook.com/events/2710405992510090

The Northumberland Dark Skies Festival takes place online from February 12th-21. For the full programme, visit https://www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/northumberland-dark-skies-festival/

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Festival to showcase star-gazing in Northumberland

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