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