Who Cares About the Stars, Anyway?

Earth at Night

Take a good look at this picture. The white spots are NOT snow. They’re light pollution. That’s right. This is the home of a species that is so wealthy that it can afford to waste megawatts of power by splashing it up into the sky. This picture says that the civilization living here has conquered ALL the problems of poverty, hunger, and housing because it has money to burn sending light into space.

In reality, this is the home of a species that fights over energy, has extremely poor people who are starving to death while others can afford to flaunt their wealth in dazzling displays of light.
Pity isn’t it? You know why? Because those Earth lights are obscuring our view of the universe of which we are a part. I suppose it’s too much to ask that we figure out ways to conserve our energy use so that humanity can once again connect with the cosmos that gave it birth. Seems like a civilized thing to do, don’t you think?

Want to fight light pollution?

The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) is a leader in the wise use of lighting. Check out their handy informational sheets about proper light usage and how it can save the environment and money!