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In her column in Parade Magazine, a writer named Marilyn vos Savant made a list of "Questions too Funny to Answer." Some of the questions were truly funny, belying people's mis-understanding of science. Sad, in a way.
But, the saddest question, one that I didn't find to be funny at all (and I'm surprised she listed it as "funny) was this: "Where did all the stars go? In the '50s, the sky was loaded with them."
It really isn't even a dumb question. It's a query that reflects a changed perception of the sky: we're not seeing as many stars as we used to. Back in the '50s we didn't have much light pollution as we do now. Populations were somewhat smaller, and we were scattered more. Less light pollution per square meter, you might say.
Today, we light the night sky up with photonic pollution that tells the universe, "Look here! These people have money to burn!" Because, of course, when we light the night sky unnecessarily, we're wasting money. And harming the environment in more ways than one.
If you ever have a chance to be in a truly dark-sky site, you'd see why I label the night sky as one of the seven wonders of the universe. To quote David Bowman in 2001: A Space Odyssey,, "My god, it's full of stars!"
And that gorgeous scattering of distant starlight is what set our minds wondering throughout the centuries. They caused us to wonder about what they were, how they got there, what makes them shine, and what will happen to them in the future. The science of astronomy, followed by astrophysics, augmented by physics, planetary science, atmospheric physics, and so many others, flowed from our wonder about the night sky.
I'm a member of the International Dark-Sky Association. These guys are the light pollution authorities of the world. If you visit their website, you can find all kinds of information about the importance of dark skies (and not just to astronomers), as well as how to make your block, your community, your city, your state, a dark-sky site. They have a link to lighting practices and equipment that will help preserve dark skies while maintaining safety in your community. And, many of their suggestions help preserve energy expenses (an important factor).
The community I live in has some energy- and light-pollution-cutting lighting practices, although some neighbors still think it's great to throw light up to the sky indiscriminately. In our neighborhood we managed to get our local utility to put up "screens" around the nearest streetlight so that the light shines down on the street, like it's supposed to, and not in our bedroom window, or bathing our yard.
One of the more illustrative pages on their site is a series of links to various places on Earth, showing the light pollution from satellite's-eye views. Check it out, and do your part to reduce light pollution, save energy, and preserve the beauty of the night skies for everyone to appreciate.
The sites below belong to space and astronomy enthusiasts. I make every effort to check them and make sure they are still appropriate. However, I am not responsible for their content, nor do I endorse any of it by simply linking to them. As with all Web surfing, please exercise caution.
Adot's Notblog A fellow traveler blogger and astronomy enthusiast!
Astronomy Blog An astronomy blog pondering the big questions
