For as powerful as the Switch 2 is, none of Nintendo’s new games seem to do much with it, but that should change with Monolith Soft’s next game.

Last week, completely out of the blue, Nintendo shadow-dropped a Switch 2 edition for Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition; one that costs £4.19 and bumps the frame rate up to 60fps and supports enhanced resolutions upwards of 4K.

We will not be reviewing it in the normal fashion, as in terms of content it’s exactly the same game as the Switch 1 version, with only the technical improvements to distinguish it. Apart from anything, the game is over 60 hours long, so it’s not something that can be done quickly.

Having still spent a number of hours with it, though, what we can say is that it’s further proof that Monolith Soft is one of Nintendo’s most important developers – perhaps *the* most important one outside of Nintendo EPD – and we really want to know what they’re working on next.

Is Xenoblade Chronicles X worth it on Switch 2?

You may have heard that Xenoblade Chronicles X’s Switch 2 version has had complaints over its poor draw distance and flawed upscaling, that makes textures look smeared and not as good as the original.

Some fans claim to have received refunds over this (which suggests Nintendo will issue an update to address the complaints) and Digital Foundry has gone so far as to say this is the worst Switch 2 edition so far.

Frankly, we never noticed these issues during our time with the game and were plenty enamoured with the frame rate boost. Plus, this doesn’t change the fact that, on a technical level, Xenoblade Chronicles X remains a very impressive game.

This was the case for even its original Wii U version, where you could feasibly walk or fly from one end of its ginormous map to the other without encountering a single loading screen. And now it all runs at 60fps – the first in the Xenoblade series to do so – which hopefully means the rest of the series will follow suit.

What is Monolith Soft?

Monolith Soft has always been a technically accomplished studio. Even as far back as the first Xenoblade Chronicles on the Wii, the studio demonstrated it could make massive, yet densely detailed, open worlds without the need for top-of-the-line hardware.

Monolith Soft used to be part of Bandai Namco but was acquired by Nintendo in 2007 and it’s safe to say that was money well spent. Although Monolith Soft does make its own games – primarily the Xenoblade series at the moment – Nintendo quickly put them to work as a support studio for other games.

This has included groundbreaking work on The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and its sequel, as well as Switch 2 launch title Mario Kart World. It also routinely assists with other key Nintendo franchises, particuarly Animal Crossing and Splatoon.

Just last month, Zelda series general manager Daiki Iwamoto described the studio as a ‘strong partner’ and expressed a desire for Monolith Soft to remain involved with the series going forward, possibly even hinting at the studio helming its own Zelda game.

It’s just a shame they don’t also help out with Pokémon as well, as the stark difference in technical quality between the games Monolith Soft work on and something like Pokémon Scarlet & Violet almost makes them seem like they’re running on different hardware.

Is Nintendo underselling the Switch 2’s power?

Given how many people have complained that the Switch 2 is too similar to the original console it’s strange that Nintendo has done almost nothing to talk up the new console’s power. There’s not been so much as a tech demo and all the most technically impressive titles are by third parties.

You can point to Mario Kart World and Donkey Bananza as demonstrations of the hardware, but while certainly very pretty games, they were both originally made with the Switch 1 in mind, and you can tell. Even the more showy technical achievements, like Bananza’s destruction effects, are difficult to appreciate without actually playing the game.

Don’t miss Gaming news! Add us as a Preferred Source

As a loyal GameCentral reader, we want to make sure you never miss our articles when searching for gaming stories. We have all the latest video games news, reviews, previews, and interviews, with a vibrant community of highly engaged readers.

Click here and tick Metro.co.uk to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.

Instead, it’s fallen to third party developers to highlight how powerful the Switch 2 can be and not even with wholly new games but with ports. Cyberpunk 2077 was a very impressive Switch 2 port at launch and since then, the likes of Star Wars Outlaws and Final Fantasy 7 Remake have consistently been praised for how they look and run, even if they can’t quite manage a smooth 60fps.

We’ve recently been playing Resident Evil Requiem on Switch 2 and while it too is capped at 30fps, it looks amazing on Nintendo’s console, which is extra impressive when it was made with the PlayStation 5 in mind.

‘The Nintendo Switch 2 system has improved graphical specs, so we wondered if Requiem could run on it – and it did, with ease. When we, the development team, first saw it in our hands, we were sceptical too, so we had to do a triple take. … It all worked so smoothly that we decided to just go ahead with the game as-is and make it for the system. With specs like these in handheld mode, it looks great,’ Requiem said director Koshi Nakanishi.

Nintendo making strange decisions comes with the territory but they’ve never been quite this backwards in coming forward about a console’s capabilities and nor have they have ever been quite this secretive about their upcoming slate, especially at a time when they seem to have little reason to be coy.

One of the few games we do know about is Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave and you can guarantee that’s not going to be a graphical powerhouse. It’s also unlikely to be something Monolith Soft is helping out with, although they be involved in Splatoon Raiders – whatever that actually turns out to be.

Looking at its release history, Monolith Soft tends to have a game out every two or three years. So, with Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition dropping last year, we could potentially see Monolith Soft’s next game as early as 2027.

What that may be is impossible to guess at but they’re almost certainly involved with the new Zelda and probably the new Animal Crossing too. They’ve never previously worked on a 3D Mario game, but with that team only just having finished Bananza, this could be the time to change that.

Whatever their next big project is though that’s the one to watch, not only because they tend to be put on the most important games but also the most technically advanced. If Nintendo has seemed slow to take advantage of the Switch 2’s power that should finally change with Monolith Soft’s next game.

Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter.

To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.

For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to meet Tuesday with the CEO of Anthropic, with the artificial intelligence company the only one of its peers to not supply its technology to a new U.S. military internal network.

Anthropic, maker of the chatbot Claude, declined to comment on the meeting but CEO Dario Amodei has made clear his ethical concerns about unchecked government use of AI, including the dangers of fully autonomous armed drones and of AI-assisted mass surveillance that could track dissent.

The meeting between Hegseth and Amodei was confirmed by a defense official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

It underscores the debate over AI’s role in national security and concerns about how the technology could be used in high-stakes situations involving lethal force, sensitive information or government surveillance. It also comes as Hegseth has vowed to root out what he calls a “woke culture” in the armed forces.

“A powerful AI looking across billions of conversations from millions of people could gauge public sentiment, detect pockets of disloyalty forming, and stamp them out before they grow,” Amodei wrote in an essay last month.

Anthropic is the only AI company approved for classified military networks

The Pentagon announced last summer that it was awarding defense contracts to four AI companies — Anthropic, Google, OpenAI and Elon Musk’s xAI. Each contract is worth up to $200 million.

Anthropic was the first AI company to get approved for classified military networks, where it works with partners like Palantir. The other three companies, for now, are only operating in unclassified environments.

By early this year, Hegseth was highlighting only two of them: xAI and Google.

The defense secretary said in a January speech at Musk’s space flight company, SpaceX, in South Texas that he was shrugging off any AI models “that won’t allow you to fight wars.”

Hegseth said his vision for military AI systems means that they operate “without ideological constraints that limit lawful military applications,” before adding that the Pentagon’s “AI will not be woke.”

In January, Hegseth said Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot Grok would join the Pentagon network, called GenAI.mil. The announcement came days after Grok — which is embedded into X, the social media network owned by Musk — drew global scrutiny for generating highly sexualized deepfake images of people without their consent.

OpenAI announced in early February that it, too, would join the military’s secure AI platform, enabling service members to use a custom version of ChatGPT for unclassified tasks.

Anthropic calls itself more safety-minded

Anthropic has long pitched itself as the more responsible and safety-minded of the leading AI companies, ever since its founders quit OpenAI to form the startup in 2021.

The uncertainty with the Pentagon is putting those intentions to the test, according to Owen Daniels, associate director of analysis and fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology.

“Anthropic’s peers, including Meta, Google and xAI, have been willing to comply with the department’s policy on using models for all lawful applications,” Owens said. “So the company’s bargaining power here is limited, and it risks losing influence in the department’s push to adopt AI.”

In the AI craze that followed the release of ChatGPT, Anthropic closely aligned with President Joe Biden’s administration in volunteering to subject its AI systems to third-party scrutiny to guard against national security risks.

Amodei, the CEO, has warned of AI’s potentially catastrophic dangers while rejecting the label that he’s an AI “doomer.” He argued in the January essay that “we are considerably closer to real danger in 2026 than we were in 2023″ but that those risks should be managed in a “realistic, pragmatic manner.”

Anthropic has been at odds with the Trump administration

This would not be the first time Anthropic’s advocacy for stricter AI safeguards has put it at odds with the Trump administration. Anthropic needled chipmaker Nvidia publicly, criticizing Trump’s proposals to loosen export controls to enable some AI computer chips to be sold in China. The AI company, however, remains a close partner with Nvidia.

The Trump administration and Anthropic also have been on opposite sides of a lobbying push to regulate AI in U.S. states.

Trump’s top AI adviser, David Sacks, accused Anthropic in October of “running a sophisticated regulatory capture strategy based on fear-mongering.”

Sacks made the remarks on X in response to an Anthropic co-founder, Jack Clark, writing about his attempt to balance technological optimism with “appropriate fear” about the steady march toward more capable AI systems.

Anthropic hired a number of ex-Biden officials soon after Trump’s return to the White House, but it’s also tried to signal a bipartisan approach. The company recently added Chris Liddell, a former White House official from Trump’s first term, to its board of directors.

The Pentagon-Anthropic debate is reminiscent of an uproar several years ago when some tech workers objected to their companies’ participation in Project Maven, a Pentagon drone surveillance program. While some workers quit over the project and Google itself dropped out, the Pentagon’s reliance on drone surveillance has only increased.

Similarly, “the use of AI in military contexts is already a reality and it is not going away,” Owens said.

“Some contexts are lower stakes, including for back-office work, but battlefield deployments of AI entail different, higher-stakes risks,” he said, referring to the use of lethal force or weapons like nuclear arms. “Military users are aware of these risks and have been thinking about mitigation for almost a decade.”

___

O’Brien reported from Providence, Rhode Island.

The US men’s ice hockey team made history over the weekend, beating Canada to win gold for the first time in 46 years.

But the victory has been marred for many by upsetting antics after the match. 

The team celebrated the win by drinking beers in the locker room with FBI director Kash Patel – a move which has raised more than a few eyebrows – but it’s their congratulatory call with President Donald Trump that has really sparked outrage.

A video of the call has gone viral, in which Trump can be heard making a joke at the expense of the US women’s ice hockey team. He invites the men to his upcoming State of the Union address, then says he’ll also have to invite the US women’s hockey team or risk being ‘impeached’.

Roaring laughter fills the room after this ‘joke’, with some of the players seen laughing so hard they double over in amusement. 

Unsurprisingly, women haven’t found it very funny. On social media, many claimed they’re ‘disgusted’ and ‘feel sick’ over the men’s reaction to Trump mocking the gold-medal-winning women.

An X user known as @SarahIronside6 said: ‘Woman from the USA dominated in the Winter Olympics, but the USA men’s hockey team was filmed laughing at Trump’s grossly misogynistic joke, degrading the accomplishments of women. These men are a f***ing disgrace to their country and the women in their lives.’

Similarly, @_shireenahmed_ wrote: ‘The USA men’s hockey team won an incredible game. No doubt. But they went on to participate in insulting their women counterparts with Trump in a manner that was cheap and vulgar. A blasted shame and wasted opportunity that could have inspired and sparked joy.’

And @melissakchan adds: ‘Most, though not all of the US men’s hockey team laughing when Trump jokes (?) he’s only begrudgingly inviting the gold medal women’s hockey team. Yeah, every effing woman sees this. What a disgraceful way to become the biggest losers less than 24 hours after victory.’

Others weren’t surprised at all by this behaviour, with Dr Finn Mackay, a feminist activist and senior sociology lecturer from the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), saying the call highlights just how ‘normal’ and ‘commonplace’ sexism and exclusion are.

‘Nobody [on the call] missed a beat, nobody paused. It was absolutely unthinkable that anyone would have an issue; the chat was unscripted, unplanned, un-thought out, and nobody had a problem with it. This shows us the everyday way that sexism and exclusion work. It’s unremarkable, it’s commonplace.

‘The President made the joke demeaning and excluding the women’s team, in professional sport where women athletes are already and historically and currently demeaned, excluded, seen as lesser, and this conversation just added to all that.’

Dr Mackay continues to say that the conversation will most likely be written off by many as just ‘being banter’ and the men will be excused for being ‘caught up in the moment’ after their win.

And this does seem to be the way things are going to play out.

Jack Hughes, a Team USA hockey player, has already tried to sweep the incident under the rug, saying that people are just ‘making something out of almost nothing’.

Dr Daniel Gray, a sociology lecturer at UWE Bristol, who specialises in gender relations, was disappointed by this response.

‘We would hope that they would feel some camaraderie for their female peers, which would have made them react differently, rather than just hooting and laughing along while Trump was so misogynistic,’ he says.

‘We might ask why they would interact with Trump in the first place, given what we all know about his political and personal harms to women and many other groups. In this sense, the women’s team, women fans of the sport, and women in general could be said to have been insulted twice by these particular men.’

Carrick has also made a compelling case for getting the manager’s job on a full-time basis, especially as a couple of the more experienced, successful and Premier League-ready alternatives Thomas Tuchel and Carlo Ancelotti have committed themselves to their international jobs at England and Brazil beyond the summer.

Roberto de Zerbi has been sacked by Marseille, while Oliver Glasner might well suffer the same fate at Crystal Palace before he leaves when his contract expires in the summer. Their credentials wouldn’t look quite so attractive against Carrick’s if he did get United back into Europe’s elite club competition.

They would also be a more attractive proposition commercially.

At a time when questions are starting to be asked about the club’s ability to do deals and the lack of a training ground or kit sponsor, that is quite important.

In addition, although it is some way in the future, if United’s new stadium plans eventually proceed, funding will be based around a significant percentage of expensive ‘premium’ seats.

While club officials have stressed no decisions around ticket prices have been taken, a document sent to season ticket holders in October placed indicative prices at £4,830 for season tickets on the lower tier of the stand opposite the dugouts, with hospitality prices rising to £424,800 for a 16-seat large private box in the middle tier of the main stand, level with the halfway line.

Clearly, supporters are more likely to be willing to pay such figures if they were watching a team competing for major trophies, something that has not happened since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

The club’s huge debt, way in excess of £1bn including outstanding transfer fee payments, might at least not need to be increased too.

Over the past six weeks, Carrick has repeatedly stressed he is not getting carried away by his side’s impressive form. After the Everton win, a question was put to him about the triumph providing belief around Champions League qualification on a weekend when Villa and Chelsea both drew at home and Liverpool needed an injury-time winner at Nottingham Forest.

Carrick’s answer bore no relation to the core point he was being asked. There is logic behind this. Results can change narratives very quickly in football.

When he took over at Middlesbrough in 2022, Carrick won 15 of his first 20 league games, then only three of the next 12. A potential automatic promotion place turned into a play-off meeting with Coventry, which Middlesbrough lost. They never got as close to promotion again under the former England midfielder.

He knows his team are well-placed to seal their Champions League return. Completing the job is the task now.

A New York college professor has been slammed for making an “abhorrent,” racist comment during a public meeting.

Allyson Friedman, an associate professor at Hunter College, allegedly made the widely condemned remarks on February 10 during a debate centered around New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s plan to close several schools on Manhattan’s West Side.

Friedman allegedly made the comments moments after a Black student expressed their sadness over the possible closure of the school.

“They’re too dumb to know they’re in a bad school,” Friedman said. “If you train a Black person well enough, they’ll know to use the back.

“You don’t have to tell them anymore,” Friedman, who was attending the meeting virtually, added.

open image in gallery

According to The New York Times, Friedman was referencing a comment made earlier in the meeting by Reginald Higgins, the school district’s acting superintendent.

Higgins had, at one point, referred to Carter G. Woodson, one of the first scholars to study the history of the Black diaspora in the United States.

“If you make a man think that he is justly an outcast, you do not have to order him to the back door,” Woodson had once famously said. “He will go without being told.”

Friedman’s comments, though, were audible for everyone at the meeting.

“Allyson Friedman, what you’re saying is absolutely hearable here,” one person said. “You’ve got to stop.”

Meanwhile, frowns and gasps can be seen on the students’ faces attending the Zoom meeting. Some were left with their mouths agape, while several others covered their faces.

open image in gallery

In a statement provided to The NYT, Friedman said that she was trying to “explain the concept of systemic racism” to her child, who was in the room with her.

In order to do that, she wrote that she referenced “an example of an obviously racist trope.”

“My complete comments make clear these abhorrent views are not my own, nor were they directed at any student or group,” she continued. “I fully support these courageous students in their efforts to stop school closures.

“However, I recognize these comments caused harm and pain, while that was not my intent I do truly apologize.”

open image in gallery

Friedman is an associate professor in cellular neurobiology. According to the university’s website, she specializes in exploring how neural circuits and neuroadaptations influence human behavior.

“The goal of this research is to expand our neurophysiological understanding of mood and anxiety disorders in order to find targets for mechanistically driven therapeutics,” her webpage continues.

Friedman’s comments were made during a meeting about a possible plan to close Hunter College, which is just one of several schools included in a proposed wave of changes.

Plans seen by The NYT propose closing middle school programs at the Community Action School and the Manhattan School for Children, due to low enrollment. Meanwhile, the Center School, which educates fifth to eighth graders, could be moved to a new campus.

The educational institution could be moved to P.S./I.S. 191, another school that would lose its middle school grades.

Hunter College told The Independent that the university is reviewing Friedman’s comments.

“Hunter College is aware of an incident during a recent virtual meeting of the New York City School District 3 Community Education Council in which abhorrent remarks were heard coming from a district parent who also is a Hunter employee,” a school spokesperson wrote in a statement. “Even as these remarks were made in the individual’s role as a private citizen and we understand that the district is conducting an investigation into the matter, Hunter College is reviewing the situation under the university’s applicable conduct and nondiscrimination policies.

“In service to Hunter College, we expect our community members’ actions and words to comport with our institutional identity, values, and policies,” the statement continued. “We stand firm in our enduring commitment to sustain an inclusive educational environment that is free of discrimination of any kind, in which people of all identities will feel welcome and can thrive.”

The Independent has contacted Friedman for comment.

An “overwhelming” portion of responses to a North Yorkshire Council (NYC) consultation on its Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO), introduced on the North Yorkshire Coast in 2024, have objected to the scheme.

​The ​ETRO was introduced to restrict overnight parking at Sandsend, Royal Albert Drive, and Cayton Bay after North Yorkshire council said the number of motorhomes using the specified streets had reached an “unacceptable level” and followed increasing complaints from members of the public.

​However, since its introduction, thousands of residents have reportedly also complained about the “displacement effects” of the order.

​North Yorkshire Council has been undertaking a consultation on the “impacts of the prohibitions and needs” to determine a way forward in advance of the ETRO expiring in May.

​A decision on the future of the scheme will be made in April .

​“With more than 3,000 responses to the consultation, there are many subject matters covered which are outside the scope of the ETRO and the decision whether it should be made permanent,” according to a report prepared for a council meeting next month.

​It notes, however, that “it is clear that there was an overwhelming response to the consultation objecting to the ETRO”.

​It adds: “It may also be interesting to note that over two-thirds of the respondents declared that they were motorhome owners, and of these 90 per cent of them objected, or strongly objected to the ETRO.

​“A lot of the comments alongside these objections made reference to wanting to return to the locations to continue parking overnight.”

​Members of the Scarborough and Whitby Area Committee are set to discuss the issue at a meeting in Whitby on Monday, March 2.

​NYC’s report states that “motor caravans are as welcome at seafront parking locations as any other vehicle in the daytime, but extended stays, which usually include overnight parking, restrict the ability of other visitors to find suitable parking when visiting the area for recreation”.

​Fire safety concerns have also been a key consideration, according to the council, which noted that the Fire Authority “has received a number of complaints and attended incidents on the Marine Drive and Royal Albert Drive, and has concerns with regard to fire spread”.

​Alternative options have been considered by the council, such as charging for overnight parking.

​However, officers said that “the concerns and issues with overnight parking would not be alleviated by this proposal and could result in exacerbating the existing adverse impacts on amenity”.

​Although the council “noted that the consultation has given a large number of objections to the ETRO”, it highlighted that “the vast majority of objections did not relate to the reasons behind the scheme”.

​“However, the objections and the comments made therein will be considered in the forthcoming review of parking in Scarborough and Whitby in the near future .”

A tearful Savannah Guthrie offered up to $1 million for information leading to the recovery of her mother, Nancy Guthrie, who was abducted from her home three weeks ago.

“It is day 24 since our mom was taken in the dark of night from her bed, and every hour and minute and second, and every long night has been agony since then, of worrying about her and fearing about her, aching for her and most of all just missing her,” the Today show host said in a video shared Tuesday morning to her Instagram account.

“We know that millions of you have been praying — so many people — have been praying, of every faith and no faith at all. And we feel those prayers,” she said. “Please keep praying without ceasing.”

“We still believe in a miracle. We still believe she can come home,” she added.

Savannah, 54, acknowledged the possibility that her 84-year-old mom may no longer be alive.

open image in gallery

open image in gallery

“But we need to know where she is. We need her to come home. For that reason, we are offering a family reward of up to $1 million for any information that leads us to her recovery,” she said.

“Someone out there knows something that can bring her home,” she added.

Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her home in the Catalina Foothills outside of Tucson, Arizona, in the early hours of February 1. Authorities believe she was taken against her will.

Her disappearance sparked a massive search involving state and federal law enforcement agencies. Authorities said Nancy Guthrie relies on daily medication, and there could be “fatal” consequences if she does not take it.

Police also flagged her health issues upon her disappearance, according to a 911 dispatch audio. “Nancy has high blood pressure, a pacemaker and cardiac issues,” the dispatcher said.

The FBI released doorbell camera images February 10 showing a suspect wearing a ski mask, gloves and backpack standing at Nancy Guthrie’s front door on the morning of her disappearance but no one has been arrested.

Reports this week, from ABC News and CNN, now suggest the suspected kidnapper may have been at her door on another day before the alleged abduction. It was unclear which day the suspect may have been at the home.

In a statement shared with The Independent Monday night, Pima County Sheriff’s Department said: “We are aware that doorbell images released earlier in the investigation depict a suspect in different stages of attire, including with and without a backpack.

open image in gallery

Advertisement

open image in gallery

“There is no date or time stamp associated with these images. Therefore, any suggestion that the photographs were taken on different days is purely speculative.”

Authorities are still working to analyze evidence from Nancy Guthrie’s home. The sheriff’s department said DNA from a pair of gloves found two miles from the home “did not trigger a match” in the FBI’s national database and “did not match DNA found at the property.”

The new video comes over a week after Savannah Guthrie’s last video begging for her mother’s kidnapper to bring her home. She and her family have also offered to pay for her mother’s safe return, following reports of ransom notes that are yet to be verified by police.

In the previous post, shared February 15, the TV anchor spoke directly to her mother’s suspected kidnapper: “I wanted to say to whoever has her, or knows where she is, that it’s never too late. It is never too late to do the right thing.”

Volunteers have been searching for Nancy Guthrie in the Arizona desert surrounding her home, despite authorities urging them to leave the work to the professionals.

“Per the Sheriff, they were asked to please give investigators the space they need to do their work,” the sheriff’s department said Saturday. “We appreciate their concern, and we all want to find Nancy, but this work is best left to professionals.”

Lila, born in 2002, grew up around fashion but has increasingly stepped into the spotlight on her own terms. In recent seasons she has fronted major campaigns and walked for some of the same luxury labels that once made her mother a household name, positioning herself as part of fashion’s next wave.

Nowadays, with the rise in popularity of outdoor night-time experiences, so-called noctourism, there could be just as much justification in directing them to ultra-dark, quiet countryside locations where the only light comes from the moon or the canopy of stars.

Whether it’s experiencing how every sense sharpens up more when walking in a natural landscape at night; the awe and intrigue that come with looking at a majestic star-filled sky; or simply enjoying sitting round a firepit with friends, there’s no doubting a new nightlife is emerging.

At the forefront of this are the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks, both of which recently celebrated their fifth anniversary of becoming International Dark Sky Reserves, and the Howardian Hills and Nidderdale National Landscapes.

The ever-popular Dark Skies Festival which, this year, runs from February 13 to March 1, has often acted as a curtain-raiser, showcasing the hard work that goes into protecting and enhancing the night sky; and ways that people can embrace the dark.

This year is no exception as the North York Moors National Park will be unveiling its new observatory, the Dark Skies Station, at Danby Lodge National Park Centre.

How the new observatory at Danby Lodge National Park will look (Image: Supplied)

As well as housing a powerful telescope, the retractable-roofed station, which will be fully accessible and boasts solid sustainability credentials, will also house a ‘Discover the Universe’ mini exhibition. This will be multi-sensory, with audio visual elements and objects to touch, such as pieces of meteor rock. Other panels will describe why better artificial lighting is needed to protect wildlife and the night as a whole, not just the sky itself.

Outside, people will be able to wrap up warm and sit on one of the benches where, at the touch of a button, a sound post will explain what’s happening in the night sky, play a dark skies-themed poem, or relay historical or scientific facts about the night. A Star Wheel panel will also provide people with information on what they’re seeing as they look up at the skies above.

The new facility adds to the Nature & Star Hub at Sutton Bank, which opened a couple of years ago, and other existing observatories in Whitby and Dalby Forest, as well as the Lime Tree Observatory at Grewelthorpe in Nidderdale.

These facilities, together with a growing number of Dark Skies Friendly Communities and accommodation providers, plus groups organising night walks, offer more than just a chance to stargaze. They provide spaces where people can experience what’s special about the night for their own wellbeing.

With more studies showing how artificial light disrupts the natural rhythms of the human body, whether it’s interrupting sleep or impacting metabolic functions, there’s a growing recognition that exposure to darkness and experiencing the natural world’s transition from light to dark is good for us.

Darkness has to overcome its own image problem though, particularly the safety aspect that drives people indoors as soon as twilight falls. York St John University academics, Claire Hind and Jenny Hall, who are both holding events at the festival, are aiming to show how women can overcome the feeling of being excluded from walking at night because of safety fears.

They’re researching how venturing out after dark can actually be used as a creative, embodied practice and by producing new creative walking music, they’re hoping to open up new possibilities for women to walk together leisurely and freely in spaces such as National Parks.

Similarly, this year’s festival will also put a spotlight on the ancient art of Dusking, a mindfulness technique originating in the Netherlands, where families would gather and sit outside at twilight to do nothing except observe how daytime transitioned to night, as a way of slowing down after a busy day and reconnecting with the natural world.

As Vicky Burton, marketing officer for the North York Moors National Park, puts it: ‘The Dark Skies Festival embodies all aspects of our nightlife, from the beauty of the stars through to the wildlife that depends on darkness. It helps people get a new perspective on the landscape, even if they know the area well.

‘Importantly though, it is also about boosting people’s confidence in finding safe spaces where they can benefit from spending time outdoors after dark, whether it’s joining an organised event, walking in a Dark Skies Community, such as Ampleforth Abbey, or simply finding a perfect bench in the National Park for a twilight gathering.’

Highlights of the Dark Skies Festival programme

Sutton Bank – White Horse Dark Skies Circuit Walk.
Described by James Herriot as ‘the finest view in England’, this is the perfect place to begin your dark skies adventure. February 13, 4.30pm-6.30pm.

Whitby Night Photography Workshop
Join local landscape photographer Richard Burdon and learn how to shoot stunning images of the lights reflected in the calm waters of Whitby harbour. February 13 and 14, 7pm-10pm

Goathland – Night Walking in Heartbeat Country.
Experience starry skies and the sounds of nocturnal life after dark with an expert walk leader who will guide the way. February 21, 4.30pm-6.30pm

Cities Under Stars – Tackling Light Pollution
An evening of discussion, performance and reflection with leading international dark-sky experts, artists and academics, exploring how cities can become more dark-sky-friendly. February 25, 6.30pm until 8pm

Festival Stars at Sutton Bank
Held at The Hub at Sutton Bank National Park Centre, explore the universe under dark National Park skies. The moon will loom large overhead, casting a magical light over the winter landscape. There will be telescopes to spy craters, mountains and lava flows. Staged in collaboration with Go Stargazing! February 28, 7.30pm until 10pm

For more Dark Skies Festival programme details, including booking information, go to darkskiesnationalparks.org.uk

Dark Skies friendly accommodation

The Green at Lastingham (Image: Supplied)

The Green, Lastingham
Stay in one of the newest Dark Skies Communities by booking The Green, an 18th cottage in the heart of Lastingham, where you can sit in a deckchair armed with a telescope, blankets, red stargazing torch and a guide to the night sky. lastinghamgreen.co.uk

The Station Inn, Ribblehead
Next to the Ribblehead Viaduct, one of the most popular astro photography spots in the Yorkshire Dales, The Station Inn provides a welcoming base with comfortable rooms and a roaring fire in the bar. thestationinnribblehead.com

Cliff House Holiday Cottages, Ebberston
The clearing in the Wishing Well Wood at Cliff House Holiday Cottages is perfect for sitting around the firepit with the family for a twilight gathering, before retreating back indoors. cliffhouseholidaycottages.co.uk

Ashes Farm, Selside, near Settle
See the night sky above the Yorkshire Dales in all its glory while staying in one of the lodges or cottages at Ashes Farm. Either book one of the specific Dark Skies weekends or pre-order one of the farm’s stargazing hampers for a spot of DIY night gazing. ashesfarmholidayaccommodation.co.uk

Prospect House Farm, Suffield, near Scalby
Couples can stay in one of two luxury en-suite glamping cabins positioned on wooden platforms to the make the most of views across the rolling countryside. Each have a wraparound balcony and a hot tub. prospecthousefarm.co.uk