Rum is a small island off the west coast of Scotland. It’s home to just 40 people. The island spans 40 square miles and is mostly a nature reserve, filled with mountains, peatlands, and beautiful heathland. Most residents live around Kinloch Bay on the east side.
One remarkable thing about Rum is its darkness. The island has no streetlights or bright signs. When the sun sets on a chilly January day, the sky turns pitch black. In that darkness, the stars shine brilliantly, and the moon can light your way.
Because of this natural darkness, Rum has earned the title of Europe’s newest dark-sky sanctuary. This honor, awarded by DarkSky International, is shared with only 22 other locations worldwide. As artificial lights fill our skies, places where we can see the stars clearly are becoming rare. The Isle of Rum Community Trust worked hard to achieve this recognition. Alex Mumford, the former tourism manager, and Lesley Watt, the reserve officer, spearheaded the effort, with help from astronomers Steven Gray and James Green, who run a mobile planetarium.
Mr. Mumford believes Rum has a special purpose. He hopes it will become a sanctuary for others to enjoy the beauty of darkness and the Milky Way.
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Islands,Lighting,Space and Astronomy,Wildlife Sanctuaries and Nature Reserves,Planets,Conservation of Resources,Stars and Galaxies,Birds,Pollution,Rum Isle (Hebrides Islands, Scotland),Scotland,your-feed-science
