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Starry, Starry Night A Thing of the Past?
A 2001 global satellite study conducted by scientists at the University of Padua, Italy, and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) measured for the first time how light degrades the view of stars in specific places around the globe.
"The rapid increase in light pollution is one of the most dramatic changes occurring in our natural environment," noted the Royal Astronomical Society, which published the study. The survey shows that truly dark, starry skies are unavailable to two-thirds of the world's population, including 99 percent of people in the continental United States and Western Europe. The report describes regions of the world where true night never occurs because it is blocked by lights from cities and towns. In night's darkest places, far from city lights, about 2,000 stars are typically visible. In major cities, that number shrinks to a few dozen at most.
An overview of light pollution and National Park Service strategies to decrease the prevalence of this problem.
night sky, light pollution, artificial light, light trespass
Rocchio, Judy; Williams, Tamara; Duriscoe, Dan. "Starry, Starry Night A Thing of the Past?" Sierra Nature Notes, Volume 3, December 2003.
November 30, 2003 10:00 PM
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