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National Dark-Sky Week offers Bright Ideas on Light Pollution
Light pollution has cast a pall on the night sky, blotting out this most awe-inspiring spectacle of nature. There are three sources of light pollution: skyglow (the lume of light over a populated area); spillover (light that extends beyond its intended purpose); and glare (a pinpoint of light that strikes the eye). Whatever the cause, it affects more than just stargazers. So Jennifer Barlow, a student at the University of Virginia with a passion for the stars, kicked off National Dark-Sky Week in 2003 to shed light (if you’ll pardon the pun) on the many aspects of light pollution. Over-illuminating is, quite simply, a waste of energy. World-wide lighting is reckoned to be responsible for one-quarter of all energy consumption. In Australia, authorities indicate public lighting accounts for up to half of their greenhouse gas emissions. And in the United States, the Energy Information Administration estimates two million barrels of oil are wasted per day, due to excess lighting. Life that depends on the natural circadian rhythms of night and day is also disrupted by light pollution. From moths to turtles to salamanders, animals that navigate or migrate can be confused by intrusive and excessive lighting, while others find it affects habits like mating rituals, and the ability to hide from predators – or from prey! And human beings are not exempt from this impact. Headaches, stress, fatigue and dysfunction are attributed to excessive amounts and types of artificial light; and several studies have linked the use of night lighting with breast cancer, as it inhibits melatonin production. And the effects on the enjoyment and study of astronomy are ... astronomical. One-fifth of the world’s population cannot see the Milky Way from their homes. In the USA that percentage jumps to two-thirds. The skyglow of a single compound of buildings in Madrid was found to have a negative effect on the night sky up to 100 kilometers (62 miles) away. How dull!
And future generations are at risk, with scores of children oblivious to the obliteration of the stars. Astronomy is a dynamic field and the oldest of the natural sciences (which studies the motions, nature, characteristics and influences of the stars) and yet there are only about 20,000 professional astronomers world-wide. But thanks to organizations like Barlow’s, people and groups around the world are banding together to minimize the amount and impact of light pollution. Daylight saving time is conserving 645.2-million kWh per year in Italy. In Toronto, the Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) encourages owners of skyscrapers and other tall structures to turn off lights during the migration season, to deter migrating birds from injury and death. Along the Gulf Coast of Florida, condominium and hotel owners use blackout curtains and minimize lighting, to encourage sea turtle hatchlings to shuffle towards the sea. The entire village of Tekapo, New Zealand, has become a ‘starlight reserve’. Using low-energy sodium lamps, down-turned household fixtures, and other ‘sky friendly’ lighting, this town of less than 1000 is dedicated to protecting the view of the starry, starry night. On the other side of the globe, Scotland’s Galloway Forest is home to Europe’s first ‘dark sky park’ -- a remote setting enveloped by deliciously dark moorland, woods and lochs. And Barlow’s project has gone global. “This year National Dark-Sky Week was actually carried out on a global scale, because it was endorsed by the International Year of Astronomy's ‘Dark Skies Awareness’ Global Cornerstone Project,” says Barlow. “It has gotten more publicity than ever!” She adds, “Our goals for the future are increased participation throughout the world and getting people to eventually switch over to dark-sky friendly lighting, i.e. lights that direct the light to the ground instead of allowing it to waste energy in the sky. Taxpayers pay billions a year for this wasted light!” If you own a skyscraper, by all means: turn the lights off! But closer to home, consider doing your part to minimize light pollution.
“For all its silence, the sky has a language. Without any words the stars speak many things right into our hearts.” -- Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt (1842-1919) Links |
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Reclined in the cockpit of a boat, far out at sea, I was immersed in the splendor of the heavens: a star-studded feature show spanning from horizon to horizon. The ancient legends of astronomy came to life … like Orion, the great hunter of Greek mythology, with his club poised high against the charge of Taurus the Bull. Clearly outlined in a connect-the-dots of astral bodies, it was a stark contrast to the meager trio of stars of Orion’s belt – all you can typically see on land.
“It is my wish that people see the night sky in all of its glory, without excess light in the sky, as our ancestors saw it hundreds of years ago,” says Barlow. Since 2003 National Dark-Sky Week has been observed in April during the new moon – a period conducive to superior stargazing. “The night sky is a gift of such tremendous beauty that should not be hidden under a blanket of wasted light. It should be visible so that future generations do not lose touch with the wonder of our universe.”
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