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You will see a diffuse glow when you look up from under the streetlights in any city in the world at night. If you are lucky, you might spot a planet, the Moon and perhaps a few stars. We’re losing our stars to skyglow.
This brightening of the night sky over inhabited areas reduces the contrast of the stars. Light propagates into the atmosphere directly, and is partially scattered back towards the ground, producing a diffuse glow visible from great distances.
People living in or near urban areas see thousands fewer stars than in an unpolluted sky. They commonly cannot see the Milky Way or the Magellanic Clouds.
Skyglow refers to the brightening of the night sky over inhabited areas, primarily affecting astronomical observations and disrupting ecosystems by affecting the natural behaviours of nocturnal animals.
Most insects use the stars and the Moon to navigate the night. In addition, some use the so-called polarised light. However, skyglow is unpolarized. Therefore, it can swamp the weaker signal from the Moon, making this navigation impossible.
Just because we are a dark sky reserve now does not mean that the title is permanent. Our dark skies are a shared treasure, and their protection requires ongoing effort from all of us.
Whether you are a business looking after dark skies accommodation or activities, a school wanting to implement a local curriculum that includes dark skies, or just someone who wants to make their home more dark-sky friendly, here are some ideas.
To prevent skyglow, DIRECT LIGHT so it falls only where it is needed.
Use shielding and careful aiming to target the direction of the light beam so that it points downward and does not spill beyond where it is needed.
Do you have a question about dark skies or a beautiful photo of the Wairarapa Night Sky to share?
