Seeking Starry Night:
Astronomer fights light pollution
Why is it better to be in the dark at night?
The small audience that gathered on a wet and windy evening learned that light pollution of Hawaii's night skies should be a concern for all of us. The attentive group included librarians, archivists, students and Special Libraries Association-Hawaii Pacific Chapter members. Dr. Richard Wainscoat, Astronomer at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Institute for Astronomy, gave an informative presentation with riveting images.
Photographs of the Hawaii night sky, taken from the space shuttle, show a startling amount of light reflected into space. This light originates from badly lit streets, highways, sports playing fields and commercial sites like storage warehouses and car lots. Astronomers need dark skies for their research and photography. Filters can improve some images, but not all.
How are animals, birds, trees and human beings adversely affected by light pollution? Nesting sea turtles need dark beaches. Lighted, populated areas distract and confuse migrating seabirds. Bright streetlights shining into bedroom windows can disrupt our sleep.
What can we do to help change the prevalence and proliferation of light pollution in Hawaii? We can start with the purchase of a spectrometer to test neighborhood lighting. While our laws require efficient lighting, there is often no enforcement. We can lobby our city councilpersons for low-sodium lamps on our streets, our legislators for full cut-off light fixtures (which direct light downward, rather than outward) on state highways, and require legislation to enforce use.
To promote the conservation of dark skies, join the International Dark-Sky Association. Visit their Web site to learn more, educate others, and create change.
Dr. Wainscoat ended his presentation by sharing his photos of the recent total eclipse of the sun.
Mahalo to Institute for Astronomy librarian, Kathleen Robertson, for kindly hosting this event.
Visit the SLA-HPC Photo Gallery for more photos from this event