Dark skies event lights up the imagination at Rogate

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It was the first night of the South Downs National Park's Dark Skies Festival on Saturday (February 11) and youngsters from the Rogate area got the chance to handle rocks from Mars and the Moon and take their first lesson in astronomy.

They were taking part in a Dark Skies event organised by the Rogate School Family and Friends Association (RSFF) for its pupils as well as youngsters from other local schools who joined them at the Rogate school.

The children and their parents got up close and personal with a 1.2 billion year old piece of Mars, and a 4.3 billion year old nickel meteorite, as well as lunar samples collected in the early 1970s during NASA’s missions 15,16 and 17 – all lent out free by the UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).

Volunteers from the Hampshire Astronomical Group brought their telescope for the children to observe stars and planets and the RSFF was also able to get its hands on a book signed by Buzz Aldrin as the first prize in a raffle.