Published: Wednesday, 15th November 2023
A larger than expected audience of around 100 people attended the free stargazing event and talk in Hunstanton on Saturday 11 November organised by the borough council.
The evening was part of the free Hunstanton events activity that run through the year. King’s Lynn & District Astronomy Society (KLADAS) presented a talk about ‘A Journey Beyond Our Solar System to the Edge of the Universe’ inside the Golden Lion. This was followed by the opportunity to look at the stars through telescopes on the green in Hunstanton.
Cllr Simon Ring, Cabinet member for Tourism, Events and Marketing, said: “The evening started with a presentation from Alan Gosling from KLADAS which covered the existence and development of the universe, an engrossing and mindboggling subject area. This was followed by telescopes on the Green. Fortunately, it was a clear evening so there was a lot to see above the Hunstanton skyline.”
For local tourism businesses wanting their own guests to have a similarly unique experience of the night sky, the Hunstanton Observatory is available all year round as a venue-for-hire for businesses such as local hotels and guest houses to book in collaboration with astronomical or wildlife groups to provide unique bookable experiences. A new visitor interpretation panel of the night sky is about to be installed at the solar powered observatory alongside additional observatory enhancements – and the venue can currently be booked free of charge by businesses to provide observation of the night sky using telescopes and binoculars, for astrophotography (the practice of photographing objects in the night sky), and other similar visitor experiences celebrating the night sky and clifftop landscape. If your tourism business would like to hire the venue for a bookable experience, go to www.hunstantonobservatory.co.uk
Cllr Ring added: “These free activities organised by our Hunstanton events team are proving hugely popular, the next planned event is the New Year’s Day Walk. You can kick off 2024 with a refreshing and sociable walk led by West Norfolk Walking for Health.
“We’re also looking forward to the return of the Soap Box Derby next September in Hunstanton alongside new events in the summer that include the East of England Regional Flower Arranging Show, a Classic Car Rally and a mass Tai Chi event.”
Visit west-norfolk.gov.uk/hunstantonevents for more information and keep an eye on the borough council social media channels for the latest event information.