Dark nights don’t have to be spooky, thanks to these sparkling UK sites

Exciting ways to get away from it all

Your new telescope arrives and you plan to take it for a spin through the stars. But a smog of light sits low in the sky, washing away your views to distant galaxies – along with your astronomy dreams

Autumn, winter and spring are the best seasons to stargaze, says Neill Sanders, outreach astronomer at gostargazing.co.uk. “Most stargazing events are organised from the time clocks go back in October

As renewable energy overtakes coal for the first time, a street in East London is taking itself off the grid this winter by installing solar panels. And residents hope to inspire other neighbourhoods

All things bright and beautiful at festive events round the UK this Christmas