A quiet moment on Enchanted Rock, waiting for the International Space Station to arc across the sky.
Can you name the 3 forms of light pollution in this image?
1.
The first that you may notice is that some friends down the hill from me momentarily waved their flashlight while my camera exposure was open, silhouetting me and my camera on the boulder. It added a nice touch to the photograph!
2.
The second is the space station itself. As more satellites are launched, their pinpoint light drifting across the sky will become more frequent.
3.
The third is the glow on the horizon. That is not sunset, although it may look like it. The glow is actually the town of Fredericksburg, nearly 20 miles away from Enchanted Rock.
The night sky is disappearing!
Before electricity came to cities and towns, almost all of humanity could see thousands of stars over their heads. With electricity came the light bulb which diffuses its light into the atmosphere and competes with the light of the stars.
The night sky is a natural resource that is disappearing. It is estimated that only 20% of people in the US live in a place where they can see the Milky Way. If you go outside on a moonless night and you can see the clouds as gray or white-ish, you are seeing the effect of human light pollution.
Why have I mentioned light pollution a few times in this exhibition? Because it is that important. The good news is that you can do your part to minimize light pollution and encourage others to pitch in as well!
Outdoor lighting tips from the International Dark-Sky Association www.darksky.org
Experiment!
Walk around your house at night and see how lights provide useful illumination or excess glare.
I encourage you to visit the International Dark Sky Association to learn what you can do to minimize the effect of light pollution on the night sky.
Click the button below to learn what you can do to reduce light pollution!