The Way To The Stars

Radina Ivanova talks to three fellow astronomy enthusiasts about what sparked their passion for Dorset’s dark skies and star chasing

- Radina Ivanova

SINCE childhood I have a real passion for astronomy, and to be able to talk about Dorset’s dark night skies with others who are similarly captivated by the night sky in one way or another is always a joy. So it was with great excitement that I met up with three people: an astronomer, a photographer and an artist – to talk about stars, galaxies and constellations.

Bob Mizon left a career as a French teacher to pursue his lifelong passion – astronomy. Sam King, a professional web developer often sacrifices a good night sleep in order to capture the night sky on his camera, and Kathryn Thomas, the talented Poole-based artist draws inspiration from Dorset’s dark skies and beyond in her original oil paintings.

All have a different story to tell about how the night sky has inspired them. Bob fell in love with the night sky in post war London during the Great Smog of 1952.

“I was only a child at the time but that smog dominated the sky. When it cleared and London switched off its lights, suddenly all these stars appeared in the sky. A whole new world revealed itself to me!”

Bob quickly found a book on astronomy and started on a lifelong journey through our night skies resulting in an MBE. Today, Bob is one of the UK’s most passionate dark-sky advocates. His books on light pollution - Light Pollution: Responses and Remedies and Finding a Million Star Hotel – have helped to champion the cause of reducing it. “Away from the light pollution of Poole and Bournemouth, Dorset‘s countryside boasts some of the darkest places in the country,” says Bob, who has successfully captured an image of the Northern Lights from his back garden in Wimborne. Can you imagine the magic of seeing the Aurora Borealis, dancing in the sky, from your Dorset garden?