The grandeur of a night sky ablaze with stars has always been a part of our heritage. Today, nature's balance between day and night is at risk as errant and excessive outdoor lighting challenges our nightscape. While astronomers had initially raised concerns, we now know the value of the night extends well beyond the visual spectacle. Light pollution is an emerging environmental concern, for it affects the well-being of humans, animal habitats, and natural resources.
Let There Be Night will introduce students to outdoor lighting issues in conjunction with the 2009 International Year of Astronomy (IYA). At the planetarium, visitors will experience the starry night that likely inspired the story of Day & Night from the Pacific Northwest Nations. With a dynamic demonstration in the dome, visitors will also witness how three aspects of outdoor lighting--glare, sky glow, and light trespass--degrade the night. They will describe the trade-offs of outdoor lighting, and they will decide whether and how to act. The planetarium program segues to Orion and supports student participation in the Globe at Night star hunt.
The Let There Be Night DVD will contain several resources that promote dark skies for the beginner and experienced advocate alike. Included will be the planetarium program, a video introduction to outdoor lighting issues, PowerPoint presentations, an audio recording, user-specific snippets, and educator resources.
We encourage small groups and whole communities alike to embrace dark skies during the global IYA celebration. At the Penn-Harris-Madison (PHM) School Corporation in northern Indiana, all students in grades 3-8 will quantify sky glow across the district through visual observations of the constellation Orion. A small group of students from each PHM school will also measure their local sky glow with hand-held Sky Quality Meters (SQMs). After all classes discuss and interpret the results, some students will present recommendations to the school district’s energy education manager and to the PHM School Board.
The night sky is a treasured part of our heritage that appeals to all ages. Let There Be Night seeks to reconnect people to a small piece of the sky so that they will be motivated to lessen their impact on the nighttime environment.
Celebrating the Heavens
During 2009, the world commemorates a simple act. Four centuries ago, Galileo turned his telescope upward and gazed deep into the firmament. While the act itself was simple, what Galileo did with his observations was a triumph. He recognized the profound implications of a few key observations.
The 62nd General Assembly of the United Nations declared 2009 International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009). The year celebrates the human pursuit to understand the vast realm of space and the fantastic stuff that fills it. Dark Skies Awareness is one of the Global IYA2009 Cornerstone Projects. Concurrently, a theme of the US IYA program is "Dark Skies are a Universal Resource," a recognition that all people--not just astronomers--have much to gain from dark skies.
See www.nightwise.org for ideas on how you can improve the quality of night, for dark matters.
