{"id":44622,"date":"2023-05-17T14:50:48","date_gmt":"2023-05-17T14:50:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=44622"},"modified":"2023-05-30T12:13:27","modified_gmt":"2023-05-30T12:13:27","slug":"our-disappearing-dark-skies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/2023\/05\/17\/our-disappearing-dark-skies\/","title":{"rendered":"Our disappearing dark skies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
A losing battle? The problem is huge, but there are things we can do to preserve a view of the stars for future generations <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Our disappearing dark skies<\/h2>\n\n

Shaoni Bhattacharya <\/strong>looks at what is \u2013 and isn\u2019t \u2013 being done to help ensure everyone can see the stars <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
The Malvern Hills, one of many UK beauty spots where the stars are being drowned out by the glow of light pollution <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

The stars have always been part of human culture. From motifs on Greek pottery to van Gogh\u2019s Starry <\/em>Night <\/em>painting, the connection is evident across the globe. But today, there are few people who get to experience what our forebears saw every night in the sky, researcher Christopher Kyba tells me. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cIf you went outside at night you would have had the whole cosmos staring down at you \u2013 this really difficult to understand thing,\u201d says Kyba. \u201cFrom my experience with stars, it makes you quite reflective. It changes how you think \u2013 this confrontation with awe.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n

The light pollution from humanity\u2019s use of lights at night is reducing the number of stars we can see. Year on year it worsens, threatening our connection with the night sky, not to mention the implications for astronomy, wildlife, health, the climate and energy wastage. <\/p>\n\n

To the human eye, the night sky is brightening by about 10 per cent a year, according to a recent study in Science <\/em>by Kyba, a physicist at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, and his colleagues. At this rate, a child born in a location where 250 stars are visible at night would only be able to view 100 by the time they reach adulthood at 18. \u201cThat\u2019s a really fast and dramatic change,\u201d says Kyba. <\/p>\n\n

He and his colleagues attribute this decrease in star visibility to \u2018skyglow\u2019 \u2013 an artificial twilight caused by streetlights, LED signs and residential lighting, scattering off molecules in the atmosphere. While most of this light escapes into space, some of it bounces back down towards Earth.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\n\n

\u201cWhen you see the sky is really bright, it\u2019s a visual indicator of waste. If you\u2019re concerned about the climate, it should concern you\u201d <\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

\n\n

Measuring the dark <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Their research draws on data collected by the ongoing Globe at Night project run by the US National Science Foundation\u2019s NOIRLab based in Tuscon, Arizona, which amassed over 51,000 observations made by citizen scientists around the world between 2011 and 2022. Volunteers compared their naked-eye view of the sky at night to a set of star maps, to find what was the faintest star visible. This helped gauge the skyglow, as the brighter the background becomes, the more that faint stars are rendered invisible to the unaided eye. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cWhat we found is that the charts that people are choosing are rapidly shifting towards the charts that have fewer stars,\u201d says Kyba. <\/p>\n\n

In fact, the data showed the fall in the number of stars visible was equivalent to an average increase in sky brightness of 9.6 per cent a year, averaged over their locations \u2013 a rate very much larger than the previously measured annual increase of 2.2 per cent. This had been measured by satellites, which in principle can measure skyglow \u2013 but with limitations. Currently, Earth-monitoring satellites can\u2019t detect wavelengths shorter than 500nm, and yet this type of light scatters more effectively in the atmosphere. Modern LED lights also peak in the blue end of the spectrum, between 400nm and 500nm, and our eyes\u2019 sensitivity shifts towards shorter wavelengths at night. The team speculates the move towards more energy-efficient LED outdoor lighting during the 2010s may have had an impact.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\"\"
From billboards to unshielded garden lighting, it all adds to the everpresent skyglow <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

The caveat here is that Kyba\u2019s team are interpreting sky brightness rather than measuring it directly, but it seems certain that people are reporting fewer stars. That should be a concern for everyone. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cWhen you look outside at night and see the sky is really bright, it\u2019s a visual indicator of waste. If you\u2019re concerned about climate issues, if you\u2019re concerned about energy consumption\u2026 then this should concern you,\u201d says Kyba. He adds that the increased brightness means humans are shining more light into habitats like wetlands and waterways at night, most likely affecting wildlife. <\/p>\n\n

Light pollution is such an issue that the government in the UK, along with other nations, has begun looking at policies around lighting. Tackling the issue is complex, though, as many people \u2013 from individuals to shopkeepers and local authorities \u2013 make decisions about light use at night. However, there may be a role for formal restrictions on lighting, says Kyba. For example, the energy crisis caused some places in Germany to require that illuminated signs be turned off after 10pm. <\/p>\n\n

<\/div>
\n

Ten-point plan to protect dark skies<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The APPG\u2019s proposals to tackle light pollution have been knocked back <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Recommendations included tightening the planning laws for floodlighting in venues like football stadiums<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

1. <\/strong>Strengthen the National Planning Policy Framework, which helps designers constructing new developments to control obtrusive light.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. <\/strong>Expand the scope of planning permission to include exterior lighting, similar to current rules around installing external advertising. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. <\/strong>Limit exemptions to Statutory Nuisance Provisions, which give local authorities some power to regulate light that is \u2018prejudicial to health, or a nuisance\u2019. There are many exemptions and many venues only have to comply if it is \u2018practicable\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. <\/strong>Create a Commission for Dark Skies to oversee compliance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. <\/strong>Set lighting standards for brightness and colour \u2013 such as the amount of blue light in lighting spectrums \u2013 and encourage best practice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. <\/strong>Set standards for the density and direction of lighting, including requirements around dark-friendly lighting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. <\/strong>Design a national programme of \u2018Dark Sky Hours\u2019 when lights can either be dimmed or turned off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. <\/strong>Appoint a \u2018Minister for Dark Skies\u2019 with a remit to control and prevent light pollution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. <\/strong>Create a \u2018Dark Skies Towns and Cities\u2019 initiative where local authorities have the power to cut light pollution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. <\/strong>Work with schools and organisations to educate and raise public awareness of light pollution. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

Light-fighting laws <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Within the UK, changes in national legislation to combat light pollution have been proposed by a committee known as the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Dark Skies (APPG). This group was set up in January 2020 to protect the UK\u2019s night sky by Lord Martin Rees of Ludlow, the Astronomer Royal and a former president of the Royal Society, and Andrew Griffith, MP for Arundel and South Downs \u2013 a constituency that includes the South Downs Dark Sky Reserve.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

After consultation with over 170 academics, astronomers, national park associations, legal professionals, members of local and national government and lighting professionals, the group published its Ten Dark Sky Policies for Government in December 2020. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
The Dark Skies All-Party Parliamentary Group was set up to look at all the knock-on effects of light pollution <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

\u201cThe APPG has a fairly broad remit,\u201d says Lord Rees. \u201cSimple energy-saving measures like tightening some of the planning laws about floodlighting stadiums and things of that kind can make them less of a nuisance and avoid brightening the sky unduly.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

The committee\u2019s policy plan suggests 10 major changes which involve either bolstering existing planning and statutory nuisance laws, \u2018supercharging\u2019 standards for lighting, with legal clout and penalties for non-compliance, as well as encouraging best practice and incentivising dark-sky initiatives. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe fundamental thing is that [light pollution] is recognised as a pollutant that needs to be controlled under regulation,\u201d says Robert Massey, deputy executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society, as currently the UK does not have \u201chard-nosed legislation\u201d on light pollution. <\/span><\/p>\n\n

And the problem, he says, is huge. In the UK, a similar project \u2013 the annual star count run by the British countryside charity CPRE \u2013 has shown a steady increase in light pollution over the last decade, barring a small dip during the pandemic when many councils, retailers and industrial facilities shut off their lights. <\/p>\n\n

Go-slow government <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

In February, Massey gave evidence to the Greater London Authority on the potential light pollution from a giant, LED-studded entertainment dome planned at Stratford in London called the MSG Sphere (Las Vegas residents close to a sister venue have warned it will be like \u2018a Sun on Earth\u2019). It\u2019s the first time that he has been called for evidence in this way. \u201cThe fact that there were discussions on it is welcome,\u201d Massey says.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\"\"
MSG Sphere, a vast LED-covered venue in Las Vegas likened to \u2018a Sun on Earth\u2019, could be coming to London <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

But it appears that the UK Government is not moving on the APPG\u2019s plan. \u201cThe Government considers the existing measures are sufficient to manage the problems caused by artificial light and there are no current plans to revise them,\u201d said Rebecca Pow, Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on 25 January this year. \u201cDefra also continues to review emerging evidence on the impacts of light pollution on biodiversity.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

While they may have to accept that the government has other priorities at the moment, says Lord Rees, \u201cit\u2019s our job to raise these issues on the public agenda\u201d. <\/p>\n\n

A loss for humanity <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
\"\"
Satellite data allows scientists to model how far light pollution penetrates underwater to affect marine life <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

The APPG is continuing to listen to the evidence on the effects of light pollution, including the research on insect living patterns and on marine life, which is affected by human-made light as much as 30 kilometres out to sea. But while the impact on astronomy, health and wildlife is important, losing our ability to see stars may underscore a more spiritual loss for humanity. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cWhen you think about the troubles that we have as a society\u2026 worrying about body image and all the rest of this. Well, maybe if we were to have this confrontation with awe several nights of the month, these very individual-focused things would be less of an issue for us,\u201d Kyba says. <\/p>\n\n

Most people now live under a constant glow. The only people who can experience the sky as our ancestors did are those who are wealthy enough to visit the few places that still have starry skies, or those who live in areas too poor to afford lighting. <\/p>\n\n

Being unable to see the stars is a fundamental loss, says Lord Rees. \u201cThe dark sky is the most universal part of our environment because all humans everywhere in the world throughout history have looked up at the same dark sky and wondered at it and interpreted it in their own way. And so, if young people in urban areas can\u2019t see a dark sky, there is a deprivation. You don\u2019t have to be an astronomer to feel deprived. I\u2019m not an ornithologist but I would feel deprived if the songbirds disappeared from my garden.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

The stars are just as much a part of our precious environment as wildlife and natural habitats, and so protecting our night sky is a matter for everyone. <\/p>\n\n

<\/div>
\n

What can we do about light pollution? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Join the pushback by measuring the sky quality near you <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Use Globe at Night\u2019s app to report your sky score in real time <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Even small, mindful contributions \u2013 such as closing your blinds at night and ensuring outside lights are on a timer and are aiming their light downwards \u2013 can help improve light pollution, as can campaigning on projects with harmful impacts. Becoming citizen scientists with the ongoing Globe at Night project helps create the evidence to inform decision-making. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYour participation makes a big difference to us,\u201d says Christopher Kyba. \u201cWhen you add up 10,000s of subjective feelings, it produces really reliable data.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is particularly important as many current lighting standards are not scientifically-based. A study on road lighting for drivers and pedestrians published in Lighting Research & Technology <\/em>in 2018, found that \u201crecommendations for the amount of light do not appear to be well-founded in robust empirical evidence, or at least do not tend to reveal the nature of any evidence\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the UK, participants might look at charts of Orion around January\/February, or Cygnus in early autumn. You can find out more at globeatnight.org<\/a>. <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

\"\"

<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Shaoni Bhattacharya is a science writer and editor, as well as a short fiction author





<\/p>\n\n

PHOTOS: NICOELNINO\/ISTOCK\/GETTY IMAGES, IAN BUTLER PHOTOGRAPHY\/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO, OFIRPERETZ\/ISTOCK\/GETTY IMAGES, CHRIS WOOD\/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO, DARK SKIES APPG, EVERETT COLLECTION INC\/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO, NASS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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