‘Breathtaking’ tree image among winners of national park night skies contest

A “breathtaking” image of lichen-covered trees at night has been named as one of the winners in the annual South Downs National Park astrophotography competition.

Giles Embleton-Smith, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, won the life at night category for his photograph called Chanctonbury Coven taken at Chanctonbury Ring, a prehistoric hill fort near Washington, West Sussex.

Vicki Wells, a member of the national park authority who worked on the BBC’s Sky At Night programme and who was one of the judges, said: “This is a breathtaking photograph of trees at Chanctonbury.

“The cold, December full moon reveals both lichen-clad trunks and etches stunning shadows at this wonderful and charismatic landmark.”

Mr Embleton-Smith also claimed the top prize in the magnificent moon category for a shot of the rising moon at Petworth Park.

He said: “I love exploring and finding new locations under the dark skies of the South Downs National Park.

“Chanctonbury Ring and Petworth Park are both beautiful areas offering different perspectives and composition for nightscape photography.”

Jamie Fielding, of Angmering, won the dark skyscapes category with his picture of the Milky Way in the Cuckmere Valley called To Infinity And Beyond.

He said: “This was a shot I had been planning for over a year, waiting for the perfect time when the Milky Way rises over the south coast and aligns with the Cuckmere Valley.

“There’s not a huge window of opportunity each year to get this shot.

“I was delighted with the results and feel lucky that we have this quality of dark sky in the national park to capture shots like this, whilst only a matter of miles away from some major towns and cities.”

The mobile phone category captured the pure joy of stargazing in the South Downs with a triumphant photograph of a family admiring the night’s sky.

The photograph by Emily Birtwisle of her family stargazing won the category.

She said: “After a very eventful 2024, my family and I came to the Seven Sisters for a few days for a little break.

“The scenery was absolutely gorgeous, and due to the early darkness we could make the most of the lack of light pollution and appreciate the stars.”

The competition was held ahead of the Dark Skies Festival held by the national park, which is one of 22 International Dark Sky Reserves in the world.

For details, visit outhdowns.gov.uk/dark-night-skies/dark-skies-festival/