<p dir="ltr"><strong>Straddling a star-filled sky, a sycamore tree stands alone in Sycamore Gap, guarding the newly designated "dark sky" park near Scotland's border with England. </strong></p><p>The area will be Europe's largest dark sky park, offering a refuge for star-gazing visitors trying to get away from the obscuring nature of light pollution.</p><p><strong></strong></p><p dir="ltr">Announced by the <a href="http://www.darksky.org/">International Dark Skies Association</a>, the 580-square-mile (1,500-square-kilometer) park combines areas of <a href="http://www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/">Northumberland National Park</a> and <a href="http://www.visitkielder.com/">Kielder Water and Forest Park</a> in the United Kingdom, a mix of hilly forests and moors in northern England.</p><p dir="ltr"><em>—Dan Vergano </em></p>
Dark Skies
Straddling a star-filled sky, a sycamore tree stands alone in Sycamore Gap, guarding the newly designated "dark sky" park near Scotland's border with England.
The area will be Europe's largest dark sky park, offering a refuge for star-gazing visitors trying to get away from the obscuring nature of light pollution.
Announced by the International Dark Skies Association, the 580-square-mile (1,500-square-kilometer) park combines areas of Northumberland National Park and Kielder Water and Forest Park in the United Kingdom, a mix of hilly forests and moors in northern England.
—Dan Vergano
Pictures: Europe's Biggest Dark Sky Park
Europe's largest "dark sky" park will allow tourists to admire the stars from the border of Scotland.
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