In a matter of just mere generations we’ve lost the ability for most everyone to see the same night-time-stars that hundreds of generations before of have experienced.
Now National Parks are being recognized for an additional grand attribute: refuges from light pollution.
This article also contains four USA maps detailing the recent historical advance of light pollution – excellent so Don’t Miss It!
Locally, the new ‘Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument’ in Northern Maine is undergoing a jurying process which – assuming success – will establish it as a rare refuge allowing world class spectacular star viewing. Jim https://thecounty.me/…/ne…/dark-skies-a-resource-to-protect/
“’We’re losing the stars,’ the 45-year-old astronomer told me. ‘Think about it this way: For 4.5 billion years, Earth has been a planet with a day and a night. Since the electric light bulb was invented, we’ve progressively lit up the night, and have gotten rid of it. Now 99 percent of the population lives under skies filled with light pollution.’
