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April 5, 2021
RAPID CITY, S.D. Mayor Steve Allender issued a proclamation naming April 5 – 12 as Dark Sky Week to encourage the community to celebrate the wonders of our night sky and learn about light pollution.
The City will observe “lights out” from 8 – 9:30 p.m., shutting off the streetlights in the heart of downtown. A banner on St. Joseph Street promotes the event and encourages the public to participate each night at 8 p.m.
“We support the dark sky effort. At the same time we know the importance of maintaining that public safety component and just trying to find that balance where you’re maintaining public safety at the same time, promoting dark skies,” said City Communications Coordinator Darrell Shoemaker.
Posted by Kelly Kizer Whitt in Astronomy Essentials | Human World |
April 6, 2021
Celebrate dark night skies and help limit light pollution by raising awareness through the annual International Dark Sky Week, April 5 to 12, 2021. Find links to global events here.
According to the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) – founded in 1988 and based in Tucson, Arizona – light pollution is increasing at a rate two times that of population growth, and 83% of the global population lives under a light-polluted sky. That’s why the group has established an International Dark Sky Week, which in 2021 falls on April 5 to 12. Goals for the week include turning off unneeded exterior lights and considering leaving them off all year long. The group also hopes you’ll learn the stars and constellations, and teach them to others, and join the global dark sky movement to protect and celebrate our shared heritage. According the the IDA:
Michigan dark sky park to host special events for International Dark Sky Week mlive.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mlive.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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International Dark Sky Week is intended to raise awareness about the issues of light pollution around the world, and to provide education and resources about how to mitigate its unwanted effects, particularly in habitat, in energy resources, and in human health.
For me, International Dark Sky Week is also about drawing attention to the necessity for developing healthy human imaginations. The imagination differs from the intellect in that it is more playful, especially because it’s not bound to the laws of reason or logic. Just as we need sound intellect to function in a healthy way in the day-to-day world, we need healthy imaginations to find our way into the unknown, and there are a lot of unknowns in our world.
Embracing the dark to beat light pollution
As International Dark Sky Week illuminates the issue of light pollution, Ellie O’Byrne talks to a group that says it’s not too late to save Cork’s night skies.
A recent shot of Cork city from above at night. Picture: Enda Cotter
Ellie O’Byrne
WHEN people think about pollution, they often imagine smoke billowing into the sky, or perhaps toxic chemicals leaking from pipes into waterways.
But light can be pollution too, and light pollution’s effects on animals and on human health are often overlooked.
It’s a modern phenomenon that has grown quickly worldwide, Cork Sky Friendly Campaign member Clair McSweeney says. And it’s a form of pollution whose negative side effects are often overlooked.