This year is the International Year of Astronomy. One of its aims is to:
Facilitate the preservation and protection of the world’s cultural and natural heritage of dark skies in places such as urban oases, national parks and astronomical sites.
Light pollution is a plague in industrialized societies, and Melbourne is no exception; I can now barely see any stars from the suburb where I live (and increasing housing density exacerbates the problem). Light reflected off a cloudy night sky is so bright I can read by it. There seems to be a mania for lighting up the night, and people have no idea what they are missing when they obscure the stars in glare. I can’t recall the last time when I saw a truly dark sky; perhaps not since my teenage years – on school camps and such. I see the night sky on my early morning walks (blurrily, without my glasses); I can make out the Orion constellation and Southern Cross, but that’s about it. The Milky Way is a pallid stream. Stargazing is good for the soul, but it is an enjoyment increasingly denied to people.
More articles:
- “Light pollution masks Southern Cross stars”, Guardian, 12/9/2007.
- “One-fifth of us have lost sight of Milky Way”, Cosmos Magazine, 9/6.
- “Is 24-hour lighting putting us on a path to depression?”, Daily Mail, 23/10. Night lighting is also bad for physical and mental health.
