INTERNATIONAL DARK SKY WEEK
Light pollution and why it matters.
I remember slamming on the brakes and pulling off to the side of Highway 89 Northern Arizona.
Bobby, Ryan and I were fresh off some pizza from Hideaway House in Sedona and were entering the food coma state. It was their first trip to the red rocks of that magical area. We hiked Devil’s Bridge and I had forced them to do a lot of off trail scrambling. They were tired and just wanted to get home. But I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. I had to change it.
Immediately.
Next thing my friends stomachs knew, we’re on the side of the highway with cars screaming by us and I’m yelling at them to“just look up!” After enduring a brief rant about safety, they did so and I was met with a resounding chorus of “holy shit” and “are you kidding me!” My two closest friends had just shared their first experience under a sky full of stars.
This moment eternally bonded our friendships at the end of college and is a favorite memory for each one of us.While I had grown up under the desert skies of Arizona, Bobby and Ryan hailed from the areas of San Francisco and New York City. A mere half hour under the stars and they didn’t want to go back home.
Sadly, these moments, just like the cosmos, are fading from humanity.
99% of the Americas experiences some form of light pollution.
A hundred years ago, the majority of humans could look up and see the Milky Way Galaxy. So what has changed?
For starters, there is a ton more artificial light created due to the rapid urbanization of the 21st Century. Things like streetlights, commercial buildings, smartphones, sport stadiums, laptops, offices, televisions or advertisement boards are seeming necessities. Next time you’re outside at night look around the neighborhood and notice the light being created. Much of it is actually reflected back up into the sky, causing a glare, haze and skyglow around most urban cities that can easily be seen from space. As a result, for the first time in human history, the majority of us cannot enjoy the beauty of the cosmos.
That is light pollution.
Light pollution around Palm Springs, Interstate 5 and Los Angeles in front of Joshua Tree National Park.
Light pollution from the Lower East Side of Manhattan on an autumn night.
Whether life started with The Big Bang or a Creation Theory, light and dark were involved and have since governed essential behaviors of that life on this planet. The Sun, Moon and Stars are directly responsible for human philosophy, religion, science, mathematics, exploration and, ultimately the foundation for the modern world.
The cosmos caused curiosity in humans to look up and wonder. Questions ensued. Answers came. Over millions of years the stars have settled fluidly into the natural flow of life and changed Earth. From Starry Night to stepping foot on the Moon, the heavens are directly linked to many of humanities greatest achievements.
Starting with with this mindset is critical. Understanding the past helps us understand the present.
Conversation with friends under the stars of Locket Meadows just outside the world’s first International Dark Sky City, Flagstaff, AZ.
Moonlit hikes through the Mesquite Sand Dunes of Death Valley National Park in California.
The natural flow of day and night is now being bullied around by light pollution and disrupting circadian rhythms.
All species on Earth are governed by rhythms, many of us without realizing it. Humans largely work during the day, sleep during the night and have done so for millions of years. Our bodies are replenished at night with REM cycles, become inspired through dreams or are passionately filled with lovemaking. Light pollution around cities or the blue light from smartphones and laptops changes that rhythm.
When viewed at night, that blue light from smartphones decreases melatonin use. Unhealthy melatonin levels translate to the issues of sleep disorders, depression, stress and anxiety currently seen among humans at suicidal rates. Even for those not addicted to a phone, an evening walk is easily polluted by the light of street lamps, oncoming cars or the bulbs of gas stations.
This has never been the case in human history. How does this effect human psychology and physiology in the future?
The blue light of cell phones has been proven to be detrimental to overall human health. A simple color temperature shift can have drastic beneficial effects.
Amongst wildlife, light pollution is causing insect and bird species to decline and whole ecosystems to either adapt rapidly or disappear.
Animals who use the light of the moon for hunting, migrations, travel, or living are now becoming confused and lost by the light of urban sprawls or a simple streetlight. Insect populations are attracted to artificial light but dying when so closely exposed to it. Other species rely on those insects for food. Go on up the food chain.
By 2050, the world is estimated to have a population of more than 10 billion. Most will live in already light polluted metropolises. However, smaller cities are feeling these cascading consequences. Areas known for starry skies are being threatened by a growing infrastructure that is not friendly to viewing the cosmos.
The Central Idaho International Dark Sky Reserve is the only gold-tier reserve in the United States. It is being threatened by the rapid growth of Boise as many are moving away from the California areas.
Once just a city on the edge of the Sonoran Desert, Phoenix is now the fastest growing sprawl in the United States and nearby towns like Flagstaff and Fountain Hills are taking measures to avoid light polluted fates.
The creation of the International Dark Sky Places program in 2001 aimed to create reserves that stand out not only due to their impressive lighting standards and community effort but also public education on the matter. Their hope is that education can translate that to city reform and legislation on how communities conserve light, energy and the night skies.
Most of us can help in simple ways.
Educate. Many are not aware of the significance of light pollution.
Call your local representative and engage politically.
Only use lighting when it is actually needed.
Install motion detecting lights if safety is a concern.
Properly shield all outdoor lights.
Keep light from your house in your house.
Go to a Dark Sky Reserve for yourself.
The human experience on Earth is changing. How will we respond?
A portion of the Milky Way shining above the Colorado River outside Arches National Park in Utah.
City light pollution from Tempe Town Lake in the middle of the Phoenix sprawl.
A celestial display unfolding as the brakes of a truck lights up the Huasna Valley in Central California during International Dark Sky Week.
Around a 20 minute exposure of the stars in Boise, Idaho during the halftime of a Suns game on TNT.
Significant light pollution from Palm Springs, Interstate 5 and Los Angeles in front of Joshua Tree National Park.
Dusk colors during the tail end of International Dark Sky Week viewed from East Pinnacles National Park.
The otherworldly features of Joshua Tree National Park have inspired artists of all kinds for centuries.
Light pollution from phones, scooters and bikes at Tempe Town Lake.
A moonlit night at the Bonneville Salt Flats just outside Salt Lake City, Utah.
Jupiter streaking across the desert skies of Utah.
Light pollution from Bogus Basin and late night travel through the streets of Boise, Idaho.
Canyonlands National Park is just a small part of Utah's worldwide reputation for stargazing.
Light pollution from 99 Palms in the distance at Joshua Tree National Park.
The Mesquite Sand Dunes of Death Valley National Park.
Lafayette, California is a suburb of San Francisco and allows for some stargazing.
Street lamps are often using improper bulbs and are poorly shielded. As a result, the human eye is forced to deal with the consequences.
Street lighting polluting stargazing during an evening smoke in Boise, Idaho.