VISIT Isle of Wight is encouraging the local community to reach for the stars.

As part of Star Count 2020, countryside charity Campaign for Real England (CPRE) is inviting people on the Island to choose a clear night from today until February 28 to count the number of stars visible within the constellation of Orion.

The results will help CPRE create an interactive map as part of a cosmic census that will help map light pollution and dark skies across the country.

Will Myles, managing director at Visit Isle of Wight, said: "The Island has a high quality of night sky. Star Count 2020 offers a fun and easy way to show people that the Island is one of the best places in the UK for stargazing.

"The Visit Isle of Wight website is a great place to start as it shows the best places to stargaze and has lots of tips for observing the night sky."

Paul England, director of the Island Planetarium at Fort Victoria Country Park — a designated Dark Sky Discovery Site — is enthusiastic about the project.

He said: "Orion is fairly easy to identify at this time of year. In the next few weeks, look towards the south, early in the evening after it gets dark, you’ll see a large rectangle.

"Across the middle of it there are three stars, which represent the belt of Orion. Try to count the number of stars you can see within the bright rectangular stars.

"We get some superb evenings here, and during the night you can see the Milky Way stretching across the sky."

Find out more about Star Count 2020 by clicking here

Don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.