Starry skies – see the Milky Way
Since I live in Chicago and have always lived in a large metro area, one of the things I love about travel is the ability to see stars. In Chicago, usually you can only see a couple of stars, but when you are in New Zeeland or the outback of Australia, you can easily see thousands of them, and it’s an amazing thing for a city girl like me. The first time I noticed a really star-filled sky, I was just filled with awe, and now I look for such opportunities. Our lives are so full, but we are just insignificant specks in a vast universe, and it’s mind-boggling.
This is a problem for people in much of the world. According to this article by the BBC, over 80% of the people in the world live in light-polluted areas. Further, someone studying light pollution says that nearly 40% of US citizens don’t ever use their night vision (your eye’s adjustment to low light) at night as it is simply too bright and it isn’t needed (!!!!). Further, this NPR article, explains that 80% of the people in North America can’t see the Milky Way because of light pollution. We’re all missing out.
Since so many people can see few stars where they live finding out where you can see them has become of interest. One site dedicated to this is called darksitefinder. It has a map of the light intensity around the world that can give you an idea of what locations near where you live or where you are traveling you’ll have the best chance of seeing the truly wonderous sky that is often blocked by light pollution from street lights, house lights, parking lots, . . . all the things that are part of modern society.
Do pay attention to the phase of the moon as well, as if the moon is full or nearly full, it will make seeing stars much more difficult.
The International Dark Sky Association tracks places around the world that offer great star viewing such that you can see enough stars that you can see the Milky Way. Some places are working to make their locations “dark sky compliant” by changing light fixtures to only shine light on the ground where it is needed. For example, the Grand Canyon just got this qualification recently after adjusting its lights. It wasn’t dark enough to qualify before that. By doing this it also cuts down on wasted energy that was used to unnecessarily light the night sky, saving money and light pollution. It’s a win-win.
The IDSA offers a seal of approval to fixtures that meet the needs of a dark sky. And having a dark sky isn’t only needed for star-gazing, but also animals such as turtles who often can’t locate the ocean when surrounded by artificial light, and hunting animals whose good night vision is ineffective when the prey can see as well as they can in the artificial light. Birds have trouble navigating around artificial lights as well. Many different animals are affected in different ways.
Artificial lights also affect us. Our circadian rhythm is thrown off by the lack of true night and it can affect your sleep and thus your general health. Blue light has been found to be especially harmful and is abundantly present in most LEDs. Your monitor and smartphone have apps available to block the blue light at night (f.lux, twilight for computers and non-Apple smartphones; and it’s built into Apple products).
Happy travels and starry sky viewing!
