Where Have All The Stars Gone? By Dicky Neely

Graphic from :shielded-lights httpeschooltoday.compollutionlight-pollutionsources-of-light-pollution.html

This is a piece I wrote some years ago. I worked for a small local chain of weeklies and this was published in those. I also posted it on a blog quite a while back. Here it is, and it is still very relevant.

Since the earliest days man has been looking skyward. The sun by day and the moon and stars by night were man’s constant companions, sources of awe and embodiment of the gods.

Early man became very familiar with the night sky and used the celestial panorama to navigate and to mark the seasons.

The constellations and planets were given names from religion and mythology and were powerful factors in everyday life.

As a child I too shared the sense of awe of the heavens and loved to watch the night sky.

I will never forget many summers past when my brother and I spent the night camping out in a cousin’s backyard and we saw the Perseid meteor showers for the first time. What a thrill!

After that event I annoyed my father relentlessly until he provided me with a homemade reflecting telescope. The sight of the craters of the moon and better views of planets changed my outlook forever.

I still have an interest in astronomy but it is nearly impossible to practice it at my home. Why? The stars have nearly all disappeared from the sky and the moon is often faint and out of sight for much of the night.

What happened? Did some disaster occur wiping out much of the universe? The answer is much closer to home.

Light pollution has robbed us of the night sky. The lights from our security lights, our neighbors, our streets, businesses, factories and so on have created a permanent glow that can be seen for miles and virtually blots out the night sky.

 For many years I lived in a modest home a half a block from the Laguna Madre. In the first years I lived there I would sit on my porch and enjoy the night sky, especially on clear winters’ nights.

As time passed new homes, high on stilts, were built till they towered all around me. Each of these very large new homes had numbers of bright night lights. This “progress” took my view of the Laguna by day and of the sky at night. Though I liked my new neighbors and enjoyed their company I still felt my life had been diminished by the loss of these natural connections.

The next place I moved to, and spent many years there, was also right on the Laguna. There was a solar-like night light right outside my bedroom window. I had to cover the window with two thick blankets and it still didn’t stop the flood of light getting in. All around the complex light kept the dark away at night and a short distance from my backdoor was a giant power plant that hummed continuously and lit the sky at night like a small moon. A short distance away homes on Laguna shores and a marina passed the nights under mega candle power light. The effect is not conducive for sleeping.

I talked to a lady on Padre Island and she brought up the subject. “There is so much light on my canal from people’s backyard lights I can’t see the stars anymore.” She said when she was a girl she too loved astronomy and she taught her children the names of the constellations and the stars. She moved to Padre Island many years ago and was thrilled at the many clear nights she enjoyed. But it has changed. “A new home was just built at the corner of the canal and they have super bright lights illuminating the whole area. They have big lights under water along the dock. I don’t like it. It is light pollution.”

People will tell you it is necessary for security. I am not so sure. It seems to me if you keep everything well lit up it would make it easier for thieves to find what they want.

A number of states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico and Texas among them, have lighting laws covering highways and state projects.

Some cities have actually passed laws requiring night lights to be shielded and directed on their  intended objects and not shine up into the sky or into neighbor’s homes. Now that makes sense to me.

Flagstaff Arizona has dimmed its night lights and other cities may soon do so. Hilton Head Island, S.C., Harmony, Fla., and Jackson, Wyo. may soon follow suit as they consider their own “dark sky” ordinances.

Another plus could be gained by dimming the night lights. We could conserve a tremendous amount of energy by cutting back. This could be an important factor as we face higher and higher energy costs.

Maybe we could achieve our desired sense of security without having to blot out the night sky or have our neighbors’ lights shining into our homes.

This would help folks get a better night’s sleep and thus reduce the amount of tension people carry into their days resulting in a happier, more relaxed world.