When is the last time you looked up and saw the Milky Way at night? Or saw a meteor shower? If you live in an urban or suburban area, it may have been a long, long time. It has been many years for me but I can recall enjoying the splendor of these sights from my backyard when I was younger. Having spent a lot of time looking up at the night sky over the years since then, I've watched it change. Not noticeably from night to night or even year to year, but every few years it's obvious there's less to see.
At work, a common phrase is "what get's measured get's tended to". I think that with light pollution it's the same. It is one thing for someone to look up and realize they can't see what they could when they were a kid but anecdotal evidence isn't science. To make a case for change, to turn the tide and restore the beauty - and benefits - of clear, dark night skies, we need to measure the rate and circumstances of change. Only then can we forecast how much worse it may get in the future and justify steps to restore what we've lost. Or at least avoid losing more.
That's the point of a project called GLOBE At Night. I wrote about it last year so I won't repeat the details (you can find them here), just the invitation... please join me in making a small contribution to improving the world to which our future generations will be born. And do a little science. And learn a little. And have fun doing it.
Here's to darker skies,
Nate
PS. For more information on light pollution and ways to fight it, check out the International Dark-Sky Association.
Showing posts with label Intl Dark-Sky Association. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Intl Dark-Sky Association. Show all posts
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Sunday, January 18, 2009
City Lights
Although I enjoy spending time in the countryside, I'm a city boy at heart. I enjoy too many of the amenities conveniently available only in the city... a wide variety of restaurants, the symphony, major museums, etc. That said, there is one thing I don't like about living in town - I've watched the night sky from my backyard disappear over the last 20 odd years.
Our youngest sons are just about to turn 24. When they were small, we could sit in the backyard and clearly see the Milky Way rising up from the southern horizon and crossing overhead. I can't see it at all now and haven't been able to for probably 10 years or more.
While I can still enjoy observing from my own yard, the best targets are obviously the moon and planets... dim fuzzies are just too dim. As an example of the night-time illumination in my area, see the photo City Lights to the right. No, that wasn't taken during daylight. Look closely and you'll notice some faint star trails and even Polaris just to left of center. That shot was taken around midnight under clear skies; the exposure was 30 minutes at F/11 and ISO 200. Compare it to Twinkle ..., taken by Jamal Alayoubi in the Swiss countryside northeast of Lake Geneva. His exposure was almost 4 times as long at F/5 and ISO 500.
One of the most dramatic examples of just how bad light pollution has gotten in certain areas is the light pollution maps at The Night Sky in the World. To see how severe the problem has gotten in my hometown, check out this light pollution map for Dallas, Texas provided by cleardarksky.com. Mesquite is about half-way between the center of the image and the right side. Ouch!
While it is a shame to lose the connection our ancestors had with the sky, there are serious reasons for concern over light pollution including wasted energy, upsetting the natural rhythms of nocturnal animals and birds and possibly even impacts to our own health. The good news is that the issue seems to be getting more attention in the press. National Geographic published a great article on the subject this past November. And while reviewing the International Dark-Sky Association web site for other media coverage, I discovered that Think, one of my favorite programs on our local PBS radio station, KERA, recently highlighted the subject of light pollution. Hopefully, the increased attention - possibly aided by the International Year of Astronomy 2009 events - will begin to make a difference. I'd love for my grandkids to some day see the Milky Way from my backyard.
Our youngest sons are just about to turn 24. When they were small, we could sit in the backyard and clearly see the Milky Way rising up from the southern horizon and crossing overhead. I can't see it at all now and haven't been able to for probably 10 years or more.
While I can still enjoy observing from my own yard, the best targets are obviously the moon and planets... dim fuzzies are just too dim. As an example of the night-time illumination in my area, see the photo City Lights to the right. No, that wasn't taken during daylight. Look closely and you'll notice some faint star trails and even Polaris just to left of center. That shot was taken around midnight under clear skies; the exposure was 30 minutes at F/11 and ISO 200. Compare it to Twinkle ..., taken by Jamal Alayoubi in the Swiss countryside northeast of Lake Geneva. His exposure was almost 4 times as long at F/5 and ISO 500.
One of the most dramatic examples of just how bad light pollution has gotten in certain areas is the light pollution maps at The Night Sky in the World. To see how severe the problem has gotten in my hometown, check out this light pollution map for Dallas, Texas provided by cleardarksky.com. Mesquite is about half-way between the center of the image and the right side. Ouch!
While it is a shame to lose the connection our ancestors had with the sky, there are serious reasons for concern over light pollution including wasted energy, upsetting the natural rhythms of nocturnal animals and birds and possibly even impacts to our own health. The good news is that the issue seems to be getting more attention in the press. National Geographic published a great article on the subject this past November. And while reviewing the International Dark-Sky Association web site for other media coverage, I discovered that Think, one of my favorite programs on our local PBS radio station, KERA, recently highlighted the subject of light pollution. Hopefully, the increased attention - possibly aided by the International Year of Astronomy 2009 events - will begin to make a difference. I'd love for my grandkids to some day see the Milky Way from my backyard.
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