Jared Flesher's “Dark Sacred Night,” is a short (16 minutes) documentary about the rapidly increasing problem of light pollution. Dark skies are threatened or endangered depending on where you are on the planet.
This is International Dark Sky Week. It's a good reminder to look up at the night sky and see the stars and planets - if you can see them.
The award-winning documentary is now live for all to watch on YouTube.
More than 80 percent of the world’s population, and 99 percent of Americans and Europeans, now live under light-polluted skies. Many people live and die without ever seeing the Milky Way.
Princeton University astrophysicist Gaspar Bakos wants to change that. He is one of a growing number of experts championing simple, commonsense changes to outdoor lighting that can dramatically reduce light pollution.
As Bakos teaches, light pollution is a problem that impacts far more than astronomical research and stargazers. New studies show that excessive amounts of outdoor lighting contribute to a range of human health problems, squander energy, and have a dramatic negative impact on wildlife, particularly birds and insects.
Bakos’s approach is to promote change one streetlight at a time. Simple solutions to light pollution can be summed up in a few words: make lights dimmer, shield lights so they only shine downward, and use warm-colored lightbulbs.
In Princeton, New Jersey, where Bakos lives and works, he dreams of a park set aside for dark sky viewing, where all surrounding lights are muted and properly shielded. By setting a good example, he hopes other communities will be inspired to do the same.
Crossposted at Weekends in Paradelle
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