The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) provides a wide selection of funding opportunities for all major scientific projects within the UK, from materials science to particle physics, from astronomy to energy production. In addition to its support for big research facilities, it runs a small awards scheme for projects involving science and society. STFC information is at www.stfc.ac.uk

Orkney Islands Council (OIC) provides a varied range of services to the islands, including inter-islands transport and economic development, as well as education and social work. Investment from its reserve fund has enabled the development of many tourism initiatives, from the upgrading of holiday accommodation to the inception of new festivals. More information about OIC is at www.orkney.gov.uk

With some of Orkney’s schools situated in remoter islands, OIC’s Education Department has encouraged teachers and pupils to make good use of opportunities to access resources electronically, including the pioneering Scottish national online network Glow: www.ltscotland.org.uk/usingglowandict//glow/index.asp

You can find out more about Steve Owens on his Dark Sky Diary blog: http://darkskydiary.wordpress.com

International dark-sky awards can be found at www.darksky.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=443

Tourism is driving the efforts to gain dark sky status, and places with really dark skies are being highlighted in travel features, such as this one on the Daily Telegraph travel pages: www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activityandadventure/7772447/Britains-best-stargazing-locations.html

The British Astronomical Association’s Campaign for Dark Skies says that less than 10% of the UK population can see the beauty of a natural night sky full of stars – and that inefficient lighting wastes over £1 billion every year in Britain alone. See www.britastro.org/dark-skies

You can find out more about Jim Paterson at http://www.lcads.com/start.html

From highways and relief roads to churches and town centres, examples of Jim Paterson’s lighting design can be found at www.lightingconsultancy.co.uk/previouscommission.htm

The Obtrusive Lighting Guide has 114 pages and is available on CD-ROM or printed in colour: see http://www.lcads.com/start.html

Meet the Open Brolly team, who created this iPad magazine, at openbrolly.com/

For visitors from further afield, an invaluable starting-point for finding out more about Orkney is the VisitOrkney website www.visitorkney.com. There you can find information about getting to Orkney, travelling around when you’re here, where to stay, what to see, and much else besides.

Another good place to start is the new Orkney.com website. As its name suggests, it's at www.orkney.com, with information and links to many aspects of the islands.

The island's newspaper The Orcadian, publishes news, features and weather updates on the web, its site at www.orcadian.co.uk including Sky Notes and a link to its monthly magazine Living Orkney

For history, archaeology and folklore, a widely-admired site is the Orkneyjar one, at www.orkneyjar.com. The site has been built up over the years by Sigurd Towrie as a labour of love, and includes the very latest information about current archaeological digs.

And if you want to research your Orkney roots, there’s Sib Folk - Orkney Family History Society’s website at www.orkneyfhs.co.uk.

Orkney Tourism Group are active in promoting Orkney to visitors and developing new tourism opportunities. You can find out more about them at www.orkneytourism.com.

The opening image of the Loch of Skaill, with the silhouette of Skaill House in the background, was kindly provided by Selena Kuzman.