We've Lost the Night Sky!

In the not too distant past everyone could see the incredible beauty of the night sky. As the Sun went down each clear night, countless stars appeared in the sky. People could gaze at the sky and be amazed. Now most of us can see very few stars each night, if we even bother to look. From my home in Lynbrook, I can see a few dozen stars on a clear night, but it isn't easy. What has changed? Why can't we see the stars like they could be seen by countless generations of human beings? Two words - LIGHT POLLUTION.

Light pollution results from allowing artificial light to shine toward the sky where it washes out the darkness and prevents us from seeing most of the stars. Our modern society does not have to steal away the night sky. Our lights do not need to be pointed at the sky causing light pollution. In fact, pointing lights to the sky doesn't serve a useful purpose. We use lights at night so we can see clearly but only lights pointed down are useful for this purpose. Lights pointed to the sky do not help light up the ground. Poorly designed lights - lights not directed where we need them - not only cause light pollution but also are a significant waste of the energy used to create the light.

Efficiently designed lights use less energy, cost less money AND minimize light pollution. We could make significant improvements to the view of the night sky with better designed lights and also save money on energy costs. For more info on light pollution see the International Dark-Sky Association's website at http://www.darksky.org/. The IDA works hard to promote more efficient lighting that will reduce light pollution. 

Can we still see the night sky from our area? Yes, but it takes some effort. As many people know, when you get away from the city lights, you see many more stars. You may have experienced this while on vacation. The difference can be astounding. I remember the first time I saw a clear night sky. I grew up in Queens and don't recall seeing a dark sky until I was a teenager driving out to Montauk to go fishing. I was stunned by the sight. I had no idea the sky was so magnificent.

Getting to a dark place can improve your view of the sky. A dark backyard in Lynbrook can improve the view but a larger darker place like a park would be better. Unfortunately, in our area there aren't a lot of places like this and they are surrounded by areas with poorly designed lights. Also most such places, in our area, are closed at night.

There are places nearby that are relatively dark and they are available to all of us at certain times. Some of our nearby state parks are excellent for stargazing. Jones Beach and Robert Moses State Parks are two of the closest, relatively dark spots. Looking to the south, over the ocean can be very dark. I have even seen the Milky Way from Robert Moses State Park.

These facilities are closed at night but, if you have a Stargazer Permit from the NY State Parks Department, you can go to specific areas at these parks at night. Additionally, there are certain times when anyone can go to these parks at night. There are scheduled events at the Theodore Roosevelt Nature Center at Jones Beach.  See the Nature Center's website at http://nysparks.com/environment/nature-centers/4/details.aspx for more info.

Additionally, there are many things that you can see in the night sky even from a light polluted area like Lynbrook (and most of the rest of Nassau County). Some of the brightest stars are visible, and some of those bright "stars" are actually planets. This sidewalk astronomer looks forward to pointing out some of the incredible things to be seen in the night sky in future posts.