Only 100 years ago the Milky Way was visible from central Paris. Here’s how we can get the night sky back
Only 100 years ago the Milky Way was visible from central Paris. Here’s how we can get the night sky back
Light pollution is a relatively new problem. Simple solutions can fix it.
crossposted from: https://beehaw.org/post/15522640
Shielding of lights is an important aspect. Instead of having an open light, flat lights or shielded lights that prevent spill upward are crucial. They direct light to the ground, and not up into the sky.
In Canberra, the Australian Capital Territory government and light operator Omexom have been changing streetlights to do exactly this – no upward spill, and controllable lights.
In doing so, Canberra has reduced its light pollution by about 30% in only a few years, as my colleagues and I report in a forthcoming paper.
This is something that always saddens me.
I'm almost 30 and I've literally never seen the starry sky. There's not a single speck of land in my country without light pollution.
Nobody cares enough, so it's been this way forever, and there's no sign that things will change.
Same here. I was in the countryside recently, thought I'd be able to see the Perseid meteor shower but it was impossible: even the little village I was in had bright white streetlights on all night along every road, even the ones with no houses! This is a village where you rarely see anyone walking, even during the day. So why the streetlights at 2 in the morning?
Contact the city hall. I was pleasantly surprised to see that here in France, many people are thinking the same, and that a lot of small towns switch off light after 2 am. It saves energy, and it helps night life.
I must say however that it is pretty spooky walking or even driving in a totally dark street in the middle of a small town!
This would be something I would love to see more places implement. Lights of a different frequency that is less destructive for wildlife, and is properly shielded to mitigate the damage. I should not be able to from 10 miles (16 Kilometers) see a massive lightshow that is the town I live in.
Wait a minute, I thought the milky way is only visible from the southern pole? Or was it the center of the milky way?