New Zealand Local Weather Forum
Climate and Science => Space, Science and Nature => Topic started by: Deano on June 11, 2012, 06:20:07 PM
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Canterbury is now home to the biggest and the best dark-sky reserve in the world.
Six years of hard work and intense lobbying have finally paid off with tonight’s announcement that the Aoraki-Mackenzie Dark-Sky Reserve has been officially approved by a global astronomical body. The reserve, which includes Canterbury University’s Mt John Observatory above Lake Tekapo, Twizel and Aoraki-Mt Cook village, is only the fourth in the world and the second in the Southern Hemisphere. At 4300 square kilometres the Aoraki-Mackenzie reserve is the biggest, ahead of reserves at Exmoor in England and Quebec in Canada, and the recently announced NamibRand Nature Reserve in Namibia.It is also the first “gold-rated” reserve, meaning the darkness of its night skies is almost unbeatable.
Full story here http://laketekapountouched.co.nz/ (http://laketekapountouched.co.nz/)
(http://laketekapountouched.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/7075972.jpg)