Dark Skies Awareness

Get Ready for “Globe at Night”
Sky and Telescope invites everyone everywhere to participate in the worldwide Globe at Night campaign! Here’s your chance to make a world of difference. From March 3rd to 16th, you can record the brightness of your night sky and submit it on-line. It’s easy and fun. Check out: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/85035702.html
March 2, 2010

Manmade Light at Night: Perils and Promises Symposium on March 11
The Illinois Coalition for Responsible Outdoor Lighting (ICROL) will host with Lewis University a symposium on March 11, 2010 entitled “Manmade Light at Night: Perils and Promises”. The program addresses the effects of light pollution on health, environment, energy consumption, and astronomical observation along with solutions for responsible lighting offered by 2 municipalities: Santa Rosa, CA and Homer Glen, IL. Distinguished speakers include: Steven Lockley, PhD—Harvard Medical; Pete Strasser—International Dark-Sky Association; Mark Hammergren, PhD—Adler Planetarium; Rick Moshier—Public Works Director, Santa Rosa, CA; Margaret Sabo and Edmond Cage, Trustee and Community Development (respectively), Homer Glen, IL; Kate Tomford, Director of Sustainability Office; Illinois Governor Pat Quinn; and ICROL’s Drew Carhart discussing sustainable lighting practices.

The goal will be not only deliver information to a given audience but, with diverse stake-holders in attendence, to foster dialogue, and perhaps action, that bridges the gap between the sayers and the doers.

More information can be found at http://www.illinoislighting.org/. Other webpages on the website worth noting include, terminology, ICROL’s Chicago study, and the symposium page.
February 22, 2010

Gear-up for GLOBE at Night 2010!
Two out of every three people in the United States cannot see the Milky Way galaxy arch across a pristinely dark night sky. Light pollution is obscuring people’s long-standing natural heritage to view stars. GLOBE at Night is an international citizen-science campaign to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by encouraging everyone everywhere to measure local levels of night sky brightness and contribute observations online to a world map. All it takes is a few minutes to participate between 8-10pm, March 3-16. Your measurements will make a world of difference. For more information, visit the website at www.globeatnight.org.

As part of gearing up for the GLOBE at Night Campaign (March 3-16), check out this 10-minute audio podcast from 365 Days of Astronomy.
February 16, 2010

Dark Sky Awareness Kit visits the Missouri State House
On February 9, 2010 Robert Wagner, International Dark-Sky Association Board Member, visited the Missouri State House to argue for public education of light pollution.  In tow was the Dark Sky Awareness Kit.  (See http://www.darkskiesawareness.org/DarkSkiesRangers/.) As part of his testimony he demonstrated how this simple kit is used to show skyglow, glare and light trespass.  Customized with an inexpensive light meter and various figures such as plastic spiders, little green army men and toy cars, the experiment is fun and entertaining for all ages.  “When people are able to maximize the amount of light on the road and minimize the stray light, they understand how easy light pollution can be remedied.”

More here - including audio highlights of the hearing.  
February 16, 2010

Dark Skies Rangers Program is now on-line!
Through the Dark Skies Rangers Program, students learn about the importance of dark skies and experience activities that illustrate proper lighting, light pollution’s effects on wildlife and how to measure the darkness of your skies. A highlight of the program is the citizen science project, GLOBE at Night, which enlists the help of students to collect data on the night sky conditions in their community and contribute to a worldwide database on light pollution. To learn more about the program and its activities, see http://www.darkskiesawareness.org/DarkSkiesRangers/.
December 31, 2009

A New Vision: Science and Tourism under the Stars
The StarLight Foundation has announced a new initiative to encourage the use of Science both as a resource for tourism and an essential part of sustainable tourism practices. The StarLight Tourism Certification System aims to ensure the quality of tourism experiences involving the nightscapes, the view of stars and the cosmos and the related scientific, cultural and environmental knowledge. Read more in their press release.
December 31, 2009

Lighting and Astronomy
Physics Today editors invited one of the co-authors to write a technical article on behalf of the efforts of the IYA2009 Dark Skies Awareness cornerstone project. The feature article “Lighting and Astronomy” by C. Luginbuhl, C. Walker and R. Wainscoat in the December 2009 of Physics Today discusses how the rapid growth of light pollution threatens the future of astronomical observation. The article includes detailed modeling of how light from the ground propagates through the atmosphere and suggests ways to limit the damage.
December 15, 2009

International Dark-Sky Association Director’s Award Goes to the IYA Dark Skies Working Groups
Connie Walker (chair) and the working group members of “Dark Skies Awareness” working groups internationally and for the U.S. received an International Dark-Sky Association “Executive Director’s Award” at the recent IDA Annual General Meeting for their work on the U.S. and International IYA 2009 Cornerstone Project “Dark Skies Awareness.” (See http://www.darkskiesawareness.org/contact.php for the lists of working group members.) IYA Dark Skies Awareness has made impacts not only with the project’s programs but also at major conferences worldwide on lighting (CIE) and astronomy (IAU) internationally, as well as the 9th European Symposium on Light Pollution, and recently the Starlight Reserves workshop. Look for Walker’s writing on lighting and astronomy with co-authors Luginbuhl and Wainscoat in the December 2009 issue of Physics Today.
November 30, 2009

Year 7 Students from Australia Win a National Young Scientist Award for their Light Pollution Survey
Year 7 students from a Sydney school won a national young scientist award for their light-pollution survey. Specifically, students in the Redeemer Baptist School (North Parramatta) won the first price of the “NATA (National Association of Testing Authorities) 2009 Young Scientists Award” (a nation-wide competition). Over 12 weeks the students measured and mapped light pollution levels in the Sydney Metropolitan Area, comparing results with different locations in the Australian “regional NSW” and around the world acquired using a specially designed website. “The winning students were inspired by the International Year of Astronomy and the school’s CSIRO in-school scientist and astronomer Angel Lopez-Sanchez. They won $5000 in science equipment for the school… The students collected more than 3500 measurements covering 506 Sydney suburbs… Their conclusion is if the issue of light pollution is not addressed then [their] iconic Southern Cross will be reduced to a Southern Triangle when viewed from major cities.”

• See an article on the NATA website
• The students’ poster about their results on light pollution in Sydney and surroundings, with the title “SOS! Save Our Southern Cross”
• Another article

November 25, 2009

A Dark Skies Video Made by Uruguayan Students
The video represents some fabulous work of a group of students from School 85 in Uruguay, who are defending the right to have a dark night sky. Please share it with your friends. (Some slides were borrowed from a powerpoint presentation of IYA2009’s Dark Skies Awareness cornerstone project.) View Video
November 19, 2009

Quality of Uruguay Sky
Approximately half of Uruguayans cannot see the Milky Way due to light pollution. Upwards directed light from an inefficient use of lighting can be corrected locally. This project works with students and the general public in the country to try to determine what the night sky brightness is from different points in Uruguay by looking at the limiting magnitudes of stars. As a result, students and the general public have produced measurements of the quality of the night sky for parts of Uruguay. It is the local version of the GLOBE at Night campaign from the IYA2009 Dark Sky Awareness cornerstone project: Calidad de cielo URUGUAY
November 19, 2009

First International Dark Sky Parks Announced in Europe
Congratulations to Scotland’s Galloway Forest Park and Hungary’s Zselic Landscape Protection Area, the first International Dark Sky Parks in Europe! IDA is proud to recognize the lighting retrofits, public education, and ongoing protection efforts that enhance the natural wonder and reclaim the ongoing heritage of dark starry nights in these unique regions.

Read more on Galloway Forest Park: Galloway Forest Park has been officially unveiled as the first Dark Sky Park in the UK

Read more on Zselic Landscape Protection Area: Dark Sky Park Program in Hungary
November 19, 2009

A Dark Skies Video Made by Chilean Students
Here is a video in Spanish (with English subtitles) translated from the children’s story by author Bob Crelin called “There Once Was a Sky Full of Stars”. The story is on light pollution, the efficient use of the energy and the incentive to be good stewards in the care of our environment. 

The video project was spearheaded by Maria Rebeca López, a teacher at the Colegio Carlos Condell de la Haza School in Chile, and her group of students, as well as assistance from the CADIAS (a center of astronomy education near La Serena, Chile) and the Education and Public Outreach group of the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory.
November 18, 2009

IYA2009 supporters urged to sign Welsh dark skies petition
Unlike most of the UK, Wales still has some areas free from light pollution, where the stars can be seen in all their glory. Members of Cardiff Astronomical Society have been working hard to protect these areas, by holding an exhibition at the Senedd of the Welsh Assembly, and presenting a seminar for Assembly Members with world-renowned speakers. They are currently organising a petition to the Welsh Assembly to bring attention to the dangers of light pollution and the need for clear guidelines. If you would like to help, please visit the Assembly web site and sign the petition. You do not need to reside in the UK to sign. Registration is necessary but e-mail addresses are only used for logging on, and will not be disclosed. The Assembly fully adheres to data protection requirements and is statutorily bound to debate all petitions.
November 13, 2009

A Star Counting Campaign in Spain for Dark Skies Awareness
The IACO campaign, the Spanish initiative for Dark Skies Awareness lead by the Amateur Astronomical Association in Málaga (Sociedad Malagueña de Astronomía), is extending a second phase of the Observation Campaign during the European Week of Science and Technology 2009 between November 9th and 19th. Their primary goals are

• To emphasize importance of preserving the nocturnal dark skies and the negative consequences of lighting irresponsibly.
• To obtain a map of Spain of the dark sky oases as well as places where the light contamination is greater.

To participate in the campaign to create the map involves a few minutes of counting stars. The process is very easy. Information on the dates for observation, the constellation charts, and registration for the observations can be found in English, and in Spanish.
November 4, 2009

IYA2009 and dark skies raised in UK Parliament
The British Prime Minister has been quizzed by David Heathcoat-Amory, representative for Wells, over IYA2009 and the Campaign for Dark Skies. Heathcoat-Amory asked whether the Prime Minister agrees that lights in public places and 10 Downing Street (the Prime Minister's residence) should be turned off or dimmed.

See the question and response here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO6hwPud5YY
November 2, 2009

Dark Skies Ranger Campaign
The Dark Sky Awareness (DSA) and the Galileo Teacher Training Program (GTTP) decided to launch a joint effort: "Dark Skies Ranger Campaign", for the new school year joining both cornerstones' goals. Students will enhance their awareness of the growing light pollution problem, learn how to assess this problem and at the same time engage in the use of the science research method and techniques to evaluate it.

For more information view theIYA Update.
November 2, 2009

White House Star Party Kicks Off a Busy Season of Astronomy Events

A bountiful fall harvest of astronomy events kicks off this week with a star party at the White House. On Wednesday evening, October 7th, professional and amateur astronomers will set up more than 20 telescopes on the White House lawn to give President Obama, his family, and a group of lucky middle-school students an up-close-and-personal look at lunar craters and mountains, the giant planet Jupiter and its moons, and other celestial wonders. The event coincides with the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first glimpse of the heavens through a telescope, a milestone being celebrated worldwide throughout 2009, declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009).

According to a statement issued on October 2nd by the White House press office, the star party is being held “to highlight the President’s commitment to science, engineering, and math education as the foundation of this nation’s global technological and economic leadership and to express his support for astronomy in particular— for its capacity to promote a greater awareness of our place in the universe, expand human knowledge, and inspire the next generation by showing them the beauty and mysteries of the night sky.”

The gathering has been organized by the White House, the Office of Science & Technology Policy, and NASA. But the idea originated with Chicago-area amateur astronomer Audrey Fischer and has been actively promoted for six months by the U.S. IYA2009 team. “We’re delighted that President Obama will take a break from his pressing terrestrial concerns to personally witness some of the same celestial spectacles that Galileo first studied 400 years ago and that revolutionized our understanding of the universe and our home planet,” says astronomer Stephen M. Pompea of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO). Pompea is U.S. IYA2009 Program Director and will attend Wednesday’s star party.

President Obama will kick off the event with a brief address that will be streamed live on the White House website and on NASA TV around 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Even if clouds or rain intervene to prevent telescopic viewing, attendees will still have plenty to do. The star-party program features interactive planetarium presentations and hands-on activities such as the construction of scale models of the solar system, simulations of impact cratering, and investigations of meteorites and Moon rocks.

The White House Star Party is just one of many family-friendly astronomy events and activities happening this fall. Among the others are these:

• October 4-10 — World Space Week
• October 9 — NASA’s LCROSS impact on the Moon, Google group
• October 13 — Hubble’s Amazing Rescue premieres on NOVA
• October 9-23 — Great World Wide Star Count
• October 19-25 — Fall Astronomy Week, including Fall Astronomy Day on Saturday, October 24, organized by the Astronomical League
• October 22-24 — IYA2009 Galilean Nights global star party
• November 10-30 — NASA’s Great Observatories image unveiling

More information about the International Year of Astronomy 2009 is available at these websites:

• http://www.astronomy2009.org
• http://www.astronomy2009.us
• http://astronomy2009.nasa.gov

October 7, 2009

Great World Wide Star Count!
Join thousands of other students, families, and citizen scientists counting stars in 2009 for the Great World Wide Star Count! This international event encourages everyone to go outside, look skywards after dark, count the stars they see in certain constellations, and report what they see online. This Windows to the Universe citizen science campaign is designed to encourage learning in astronomy. The Great World Wide Star Count will be held October 9—23, 2009!

For more information visit www.windows.ucar.edu/starcount or contact starcountinfo@ucar.edu
September 29, 2009

IAU Resolution B5—In Defence of the Night Sky
The members of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) on Thursday, August 13, voted unanimously to approve a resolution in defense of the night sky and the right to starlight. The initiators of the resolution were the IAU Executive Working Group, the International Year of Astronomy 2009 Cornerstone Project Dark Skies Awareness Working Group, the members of the Starlight Declaration, and the IAU Division XII/Commission 50 Working Group on Controlling Light Pollution. Read the Resolution.
August 17, 2009

Regione Veneto in Italy approves a law promoting no upward-directed light! (Fabio Falchi)
Regione Veneto was the first Italian region to enforce a law against light pollution in 1997. Being the first, the law had room for future improvement. One area that needed improvement allowed up to 3% direct upward flux from luminaries. After more than 10 years (and in the International Year of Astronomy) Veneto is substantially upgrading its laws and the new law now recognizes the importance of 0% upward-directed flux, as in ten other Italian regions, starting from the most populated one: Lombardy.

Galileo used his telescope for the first time in Veneto and now Veneto is making a huge step forward in protecting the night sky and night environment. Read more.
August 13, 2009

Big Aussie Star Hunt
The Big Aussie Star Hunt website has just gone live! It is a multimedia website and citizen astronomy project developed for Australian National Science Week to coincide with the International Year of Astronomy. It is based on global light pollution projects such as Globe At Night and Great WorldWide Star Count and aims to not only help people understand light pollution but get to know their night sky. All you need to do to take part in the star hunt is find Scorpius and match what you see in the sky with one of our magnitude charts. This will tell us how much light pollution is in your local area. Once you’ve completed the survey, enter our competition by telling us which constellation you would like to rename, what you would call it and why. The first campaign will open August 15 through 23.

See http://www.starhunt.net.au for more information. See also this video on YouTube.
July 31, 2009

Good news for dark skies in Wales, UK
The Welsh Assembly has voiced its support for dark skies. They have officially stated that the Assembly:

• Supports the British Astronomical Association’s Campaign for Dark Skies
• Regrets the cost of poor artificial lighting to the environment and ecosystem
• Acknowledges that the quality of many people’s lives is seriously degraded by poor-quality exterior lighting
• Calls for a nationwide campaign to discourage floodlighting, over-bright and poorly directed light
• Calls on Visit Wales to promote the aesthetic and scientific value of dark sky in Wales.

Read More…
July 24, 2009

News from Poland
Summary page (PDF in English) | Web site (in Polish)
July 22, 2009

Measuring the Night Sky Brightness to understand the problem of Light Pollution in Hong Kong
Light pollution, caused by excess night time lighting, is quickly becoming a severe environmental problem worldwide. Researchers at the Department of Physics of The University of Hong Kong carried out the first comprehensive survey of the condition of light Pollution in Hong Kong, namely A Survey of Light Pollution in Hong Kong, in the past 15 months. Utilizing almost 2000 sets of night sky brightness data from over 200 different sites in Hong Kong, the study exposed the seriousness of the problem: the Hong Kong night sky is over 500 times brighter than a pristine night sky! Read more…
July 7, 2009

2nd Symposium for Dark-sky Parks and 2nd Dark-sky Camp
14—19 September 2009, Lastovo island, Croatia
The symposium provides both a setting for individuals to present their knowledge or attend presentations by leading experts in the light-pollution field, and creates an opportunity for networking, collaboration, sharing of information and the building of trust relationships. Symposium will bring together managers of protected areas, experts in biology, (eco)tourism, natural and cultural heritage, lighting industry and others to further the action plan on reducing light pollution. The symposium is a five-day event, comprising of lectures, field-trips and night observations. Read more…
July 5, 2009

An important step forward for the Astronomy and World Heritage Initiative and the Starlight Reserves proposal (Cipriano Marin)
On June 24, 2009, the Astronomy and World Heritage Initiative and the Starlight Reserves proposal were presented to the delegates of several countries in the framework of the 33rd Session of the World Heritage Committee held in Seville (Spain). This has been an important step towards the recognition of cultural, scientific and environmental values associated to astronomy and the right to observe the stars as a common heritage of humankind. The event allowed the Committee to formally present the Starlight Reserve concept. The digital and final version of the Starlight Reserve Guidelines publication that was presented in Seville can be found here. Also noteworthy is the big step forward made by both the Astronomy and World Heritage Initiative and the Starlight Reserves proposal, through the recognition of their associated values by the World Heritage Committee. More information on the Seville event is available.
July 3, 2009

News from Canada: Areas within Two National Parks Earn the Dark Sky Preserves Designation (Update from Robert Dick)
This summer, the RASC has designated another two permanent Dark Sky Preserves (DSPs). They both have exceptional skies and are located within two National Parks: The Kouchibougauc National Park (239.2 km2) in New Brunswick, and the Bruce Peninsula / Fathom Five Marine National Park (267 km2) in Ontario between Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. This brings our total to nine.

Two more applications this year may be coming from New Brunswick. There is generally very limited light pollution in the province because it is sparsely populated (750,000 people) yet with an area about that of West Virginia.

Conservation Authorities and Land (and water) Stewardship organizations are particularly receptive to the message to reduce light pollution. Although astronomy catches their attention, the impact of light pollution on wildlife (scotobiology) is the impetus that coaxes them into action. The impact of their property and shoreline lighting comes as a surprise to most people, but their corrective action is swift. Scotobiology is also proving to be the main driver behind the DSPs in our Federal Parks.
July 2, 2009

News from Austria: A Campaign and Light Meters to Monitor Dark Skies (Update from Guenther Wuchterl)
Join thousands of other citizen-scientists hunting for stars during the International Year of Astronomy’s “How Many Stars” campaign to preserve and observe the nighttime sky! “How Many Stars” encourages everyone—students, educators, and the general public—to measure the darkness of their local skies and contribute their observations online to a world map. One of the main constellations used to measure the night sky brightness, Ursa Minor, is high in the northern sky this summer. So come participate now! For more information, visit http://starlit.astronomy2009.at. Also more translators are needed for these webpages. Translations can be done easily online at the website.

Newly developed light meters will continuously measure the night sky brightness at many locations around the globe to monitor changes and provide an unbiased reference for the unaided eye measurements within constellations. Adopt a light meter and record the brightness of the night sky in your city, at your school or at your observatory. You need: (1) a computer with USB and Windows XP/NT/2000, (2) a place with a good view of the sky within 20 meters of the computer, and (3) about 100 Euros for the light meter. Contact Verein@Kuffner-Sternwarte.at to adopt a starlight meter! For more information, visit http://wiki.sternhell.at.
July 2, 2009

News from Japan: Japan’s Candle Night
Japan’s Candle Night initiative simply suggests that people switch off their lights for two hours, from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. on the night of the summer solstice to enjoy some time by candlelight. On June 21, 2009, major facilities and businesses in Japan turned their lights off from 8 to 10 pm. This year’s summer solstice also marks the sixth anniversary of an event called Candle Night since it was started in 2003. The idea of holding Candle Night in Japan, where people turn off their lights and light candles in unison, was originally inspired by the Voluntary Blackout movement in Canada, launched in 2001. Read More
June 26, 2009

News from Hong Kong: Hong Kong Dims the Light Fantastic
Green activists have claimed a victory in their battle against light pollution, saying the sky above Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong was 60 per cent darker than normal last night during the two-hour Dim It Brighten Up campaign on June 21, 2009. In the first Dim It campaign last year about 140 buildings took part, making Victoria Harbor 32 per cent dimmer than usual, according to the organizers, the Friends of the Earth. June 21 was chosen because it is the summer solstice and marks the start of peak electricity usage. Read More
June 26, 2009