Dark Sky Reserves

Rising from the Big Bend is what might be the best big idea in the whole state of Texas. Yep, it’s that big!

Bigger than the rocket launches of Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. Bigger than the football coliseums for the Cowboys, Longhorns, and Aggies. Bigger than any tech dream launched by the hipsters at Apple, Google, or Tesla in Austin. Bigger than the towering 10,000 Year Clock being inserted into a 300-foot deep cave in the Sierra Diablo Mountains near Van Horn. Believe it or not, there is something wondrous and profound happening in the Big Bend, far grander than anything happening in our big cities or on our electronic screens.

Imagine a huge swath of the modern world better integrated into the natural world here on Earth and the cosmos above—an area in which the bright skyglow of our cities is tempered in favor of the radiant starglow of the cosmos. In that difference between skyglow and starglow lies hope for a better tomorrow. That’s why we need to turn our gaze away from our screens, at least for a while, and experience our true place in the universe. We can find it in the Big Bend, site of this profound and beautiful project.

It’s called the Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve. You’ve probably never heard of it. But, I find this to be an incredibly hopeful project, not only for Texans, but for Americans and the rest of humanity Relax, this is not a political essay. It’s a story about hope for a deeper and richer understanding of our place on Earth and in the universe.

Artificial Light At Night (ALAN), causing light pollution (LP), is not a matter restricted to astronomy anymore. Light is part of modern societies and, as a consequence, the natural cycle day-night (bright-dark) has been interrupted to a large segment of the world population. There is increasing evidence that exposure to light at night of certain type and beyond certain levels may cause hazardous effects to human beings and to the environment. The concept of “dark skies reserves” is a step forward in order to preserve the night sky and a means of increasing the public awareness to the problem of the spread of light pollution worldwide. We assessed the skyglow in two sites in Portugal, the Peneda-Gerês National Park (PNPG) and the region now known as Dark Sky® Alqueva Reserve (Figure 1). The latter site was classified as a “Starlight Tourism Destination“ by the Starlight Foundation (the first in the world to achieve this classification) following a series of night sky measurements in situ described in this communication. Our measurements at the PNPG also contributed to the new set of regulations concerning light pollution at this National Park. Here we present the first in situ systematic measurements of the night sky brightness, showing that at the two sites the skies are mostly in the 3rd to 4th levels of the Bortle nine-levels scale (level 1 being the best achievable). We find that the sources of light

The IAU100 Special Project “Heritage of the Sky” sought to link night sky conservation and national heritage by inviting professional and amateur photographers to submit their astrophotos capturing natural, cultural and historical heritage. The contest provided a notable graphic collection of resources of the natural, historical and intangible heritage and allowed nightscape photography with official permission in all Iranian heritage sites. People in different locations, from different gender and cultural backgrounds submitted over 200 photos with informative storytelling from relevant sites. The award ceremony brought together astrophotographers, amateur astronomers and the tourism community to discuss how to empower the public with the tools and resources to help bring back the night sky.

Wolfschmidt, Gudrun: Autoren. Nuncius Hamburgensis. Abbildungsverzeichnis. Index.
In: Wolfschmidt, Gudrun (Hg.): 70 Jahre Observatorium Hoher List. Sieben Jahrzehnte astronomische Beobachtung in der Eifel. Hamburg: tredition (Nuncius Hamburgensis; Band 37) 2020, S. 326-356.

“Light Pollution: A Global Discussion” explores current expert perspectives on artificial light at night (ALAN) and aims to further the discussion about artificial lighting and light pollution at an international level. The e-book aims to identify debates and common problems in the fields of lighting and light pollution mitigation and share them broadly to raise awareness for the topic. In three expert group discussions and an international survey, it raises issues like how to define "light pollution", how to protect dark skies, which color temperature is sustainable for street lighting and how to regulate commercial city lights. Full book available at: http://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=21131

Straßenbeleuchtung wirkt sich auf verschiedenen Wegen auf die Umwelt aus: Sie verbraucht nicht nur Energie und beeinflusst damit die Klimabilanz einer Kommune; sondern trägt darüber hinaus erheblich zum Problem der Lichtverschmutzung bei, welches wiederum mit einer Vielzahl an negativen Folgen verbunden ist. Vor diesem Hintergrund streben die Oberharzer Kommunen Braunlage und Clausthal-Zellerfeld die energetische und ökologische Optimierung ihrer Beleuchtung an. Als erster Schritt in Richtung einer lichttechnischen Neuausrichtung erfolgte im Jahr 2018 eine Geokartierung der existierenden Beleuchtung sowie eine Erfassung aller für die Beplanung relevanten Beleuchtungsparameter durch Studierende der Hochschule Harz.

This essay looks at the role of media technologies in the Anthropocene, the new "human epoch" in which humanity has transformed the surface of Earth and its ecosystems, while adding a new fossil layer. The essay draws from a radical new media theory called Hot and Cool Media, developed by Julia Hildebrand and Barry Vacker as a 21st century theory to account for all media, from phones to drones to space telescopes and everything in-between. The Hot-Cool concept draws from Marshall McLuhan's now outmoded concept of Hot and Cool Media.

Straßenbeleuchtung wirkt sich auf verschiedenen Wegen auf die Umwelt aus: Sie verbraucht nicht nur Energie und beeinflusst damit die Klimabilanz einer Kommune; sondern trägt darüber hinaus erheblich zum Problem der Lichtverschmutzung bei, welches wiederum mit einer Vielzahl an negativen Folgen verbunden ist. Vor diesem Hintergrund streben die Oberharzer Kommunen Braunlage und Clausthal-Zellerfeld die energetische und ökologische Optimierung ihrer Beleuchtung an. Als erster Schritt in Richtung einer lichttechnischen Neuausrichtung erfolgte im Jahr 2018 eine Geokartierung der existierenden Beleuchtung sowie eine Erfassung aller für die Beplanung relevanten Beleuchtungsparameter durch Studierende der Hochschule Harz.

What if the "Dark Skies" movement might be the most important techno-philosophical movement on Planet Earth? This 16-minute essay presents an innovative new philosophy for planetary technological civilization, inspired by an international award-winning essay on technology and the Dark Skies movement (especially the largest "International Dark Sky Reserve" being developed in Texas and Mexico).