Town Turns Off the Lights To See the Stars

Hugh Pickens writes "Stargazing skies all over the world are disappearing, as the sky above New York City is Class 9 on the Bortle ranking and American suburban skies are typically Class 5, 6, or 7. But some places are making an effort to preserve their skywatching heritage as Exmoor National Park was granted International Dark-Sky Reserve status in November and people in the Exmoor town of Dulverton were challenged to switch off their lights as part of the BBC's Stargazing Live, demonstrating that you don't need special equipment to see the stars more clearly, if you have a decent pair of binoculars. 'The whole idea is to show that even a small town, which is still quite dark, can give off quite a lot of light,' says astronomer Mark Thompson. The event in Dulverton gained a lot of support from local residents and businesses. 'It needed a bit of organization to get everyone to say yes,' says town mayor Chris Nelder. 'We want people to just enjoy the night sky, to treasure the fact we have them and to look after them,' adds Claire O'Connor from Exmoor National Park Authority."

Re:Fear of the dark...

[Nrrqshrr]

We have less crime in my dark neighborhood than many nearby well-lit ones

That's probably because burglars, too, fear the dark.

Re:Sounds awesome!

[Walt Dismal]

You would be amazed to see the difference between the sky above a city or town and what it is like out in the country well away from lights but also from air pollution. When I go out of Silicon Valley, where you can see some stars, down to Pacheco Pass in the mountains southeast of the area, the difference is immense. You can see the Milky Way in all its glory, and then you realize what you see in the city is like having a gauze bandage around your head. Once the Illuminati kill off 99% of the population, those skies are going to be spectacular! Well worth it, I say.

Re:Sounds awesome!

[jefe7777]

maybe his light needs to have an unfortunate accident...

Re:Sounds awesome!

[NatasRevol]

I'd be most worried about car accidents. My wife can barely see at night with the lights as they are.

Re:Nice, but...

[Deadstick]

Few years back, there was an article in the Denver Post, one of those "10 Best Places in Denver" puff pieces. It offered the recently-built upscale subdivision of Highlands Ranch as the "Best Place For Stargazing" because it has "plenty of lights to illuminate the stars"...

rj