
Falling in Love with the Dark - dnetesn
http://nautil.us/issue/11/light/falling-in-love-with-the-dark?utm_source=tss&utm_medium=desktop&utm_campaign=linkfrom
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chrissnell
Once a year, some buddies from all over the country and I get together to
spend a week in the deserts of Southern Utah and the Colorado Plateau. It's a
driving adventure (we all drive old Land Rovers) but nights are spent in
improvised campsites, as far as we can get from paved roads and civilizations.
The rocks and the trees are beautiful but the night sky...the night sky is
indescribable. We sit on our chairs around the campfire and watch the
satellites and cross-country flights pass overhead. The Milky Way so bright
that it almost lights the land like a moon. Some evenings, I set up my camera
and tripod and do my best attempt at night photography. Here are few of my
favorites:

Cedar Mesa, Utah:
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/defender90/5551249303/in/set-7...](https://www.flickr.com/photos/defender90/5551249303/in/set-72157626204989387/lightbox/)

La Sal Mountains, Utah:
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/defender90/5114443927/in/set-7...](https://www.flickr.com/photos/defender90/5114443927/in/set-72157625240335210)

Comb Ridge, Utah:
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/defender90/6305032340/in/set-7...](https://www.flickr.com/photos/defender90/6305032340/in/set-72157627908526209/lightbox/)

Moonrise over Canyonlands National Park:
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/defender90/6940180396/in/set-7...](https://www.flickr.com/photos/defender90/6940180396/in/set-72157629835662677/lightbox/)

Elk Ridge campsite, Abajo Mountains, Utah:
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/defender90/8762668240/in/set-7...](https://www.flickr.com/photos/defender90/8762668240/in/set-72157633554934498/lightbox/)

La Sal Mountains, Utah:
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/defender90/5114444819/in/set-7...](https://www.flickr.com/photos/defender90/5114444819/in/set-72157625240335210/lightbox/)

~~~
cesarbs
How can I learn to prepare for something like this? How can I find out where
the good spots are? My wife and I would love to go on such an adventure, but
we fear for things like bears and other predatory animals.

~~~
chrissnell
[http://expeditionportal.com](http://expeditionportal.com)

[http://overlandjournal.com](http://overlandjournal.com)

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georgemcbay
Living in San Diego, I love having the option of driving out to Anza Borrego
to see the stars.

If you haven't seen them in a true "dark sky" setting, I highly recommend it.
You'll be shocked how many of them you see and how there are just layers and
layers of them everywhere and being able to see the milky way with the naked
eye is incredible. I doubt it comes close the so-called "Overview effect"
Astronauts talk about when they see the Earth from... not the Earth, but it is
still quite powerful and humbling when you're used to looking up and seeing
half a dozen stars on a good night.

~~~
endgame
Going out to sea and looking up was an experience I'll never forget.

~~~
_mgr
This. Even with the lights on the decks of the cruise ship I was still able to
see layers and an expanse of stars I haven't seen since I tramped around the
the Nelson Lakes area of New Zealand when I was younger.

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kourt
The worst part is that we're failing even on simple things that could reduce
light pollution, such as using outdoor fixtures that direct the light only
downward.

The International Dark Sky Association exists, but I don't know how successful
they have been. [http://www.darksky.org/lighting-codes/simple-guidelines-
to-l...](http://www.darksky.org/lighting-codes/simple-guidelines-to-lighting-
regulations)

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cellover
Hubert Reeves sums it up really well:

"The first effect, and I would say the most dramatic, is that it steals the
sky. People no longer see the sky. There are many people out there who have
never seen the Milky Way, who have never seen zodiacal light. Sometimes I ask
people, "Do you know what zodiacal light is?" Three-quarters of them do not
know, they have never even heard the word. It's part of something that held
great significance in the past. It's contact with the sky. It's that feeling
you get when you go outside on a beautiful starry night, Milky Way and all.
That contact was present throughout humanity until only a few decades ago."

We greatly underestimate the fundamental and mystical implications of these
changes on the inhabitants of this planet.

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wyager
I've spent the last few years in big cities; Austin, LA, NYC. A few weeks ago
I took a brief trip to a small town in Idaho with negligible light pollution.

I had completely forgotten the look of a clear night sky. It was absolutely
breathtaking. I felt as though I was going to fall away from the earth.

I truly hope that in the long term, humanity can build infrastructure that
doesn't destroy access to the night sky.

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jacquesm
Super nice article. I miss the Canadian Northern rural nightskies very much so
I was pleasantly surprised last weekend when the sky was completely clear
while camping somewhere in the mountains in Romania. I never realized that
being in a valley the mountains are even more effective at blocking out any
light pollution than mere distance will do and the view was absolutely
spectacular.

Living out of a very tiny RV for a couple of days is an exercise in compromise
but the rewards are definitely worth it.

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jakeogh
In Tucson AZ we have few streetlights. It's nice. You can take a walk and see
better because your night vision is not constantly being reset. A 45min drive
up any of our local mountains and the Milky Way is bright and center,
satellites whizzing by.

The International Dark Sky Association (unsuprisingly based here) has
resources for people interested in reclaiming their night sky:
[http://www.darksky.org/](http://www.darksky.org/)

~~~
frossie
Factoid: At Kitt Peak National Observatory, a working astronomical site, you
get more light pollution from the Homeland Security / Border Patrol
checkpoints that you do from the nearby city of Tucson.

1,000W bulbs: Just Say No.

~~~
jakeogh
I was in the Santa Ritas last weekend and noticed the same thing. The local
interrogation point outshined the city. Our tax dollars at work.

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bradly
I was hiking Mount Whitney a few weeks ago and by far the most spectacular
site was the sky at night. Better than highest peak or the purest mountain
lake, the sky was unlike anything I'd ever seen. Definitely worthy of planning
a vacation around.

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Gracana
I didn't realize how important it was for me to see the night sky until I
moved to a densely populated area. It's weird to look up and see nothing but a
glowing haze.

~~~
Pyrodogg
It's kind of terrifying to visit my parents place in the countryside. I
actually _need_ my headlights. While it's not going to be safe for everyone, I
could very well drive across my brightly-lit metro area with no driving
lights, in the dead of night, with little issue.

On the other hand, out under the clear sky, I'd be off the road in under a
mile without lights. It's Dark out there.

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asaddhamani
This is a problem I feel very deeply about. When I was a kid, I would look up
in the sky and see stars. Now, all I see is an orangish hue. Spotting even a
single star at night these days is a difficult task.

I sincerely hope we can solve this problem of lights spoiling the night sky
for everyone. Especially street lights, those are the worst. I hate having to
go to a forest to be able to see the sky I could once see from the roof of my
house.

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kamjam
I spent a few weeks trekking trekking around the northern part of India a few
years ago, around the foothills of the Himalaya mountain range. Miles from
anything, only access is by foot and the only power was available by a
generator that ran from 6am-10am and 6pm-10pm. It's amazing what is out there.

What amazed me the most was the number of shooting stars I saw, what I thought
was a rare occurrence but if it is dark enough even the smallest particle of
dust throws out an amazing glow as it enters our atmosphere.

For those of you in the Southern UK, I highly recommend a camping trip to
Durdle Door. The camp site is a few hundred metres from the cliff edge and
miles from any light pollution. Amazing views of the nigh sky from there too:
[https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=durdle+door+night+sky&tbm=...](https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=durdle+door+night+sky&tbm=isch)

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quarterwave
Thanks for posting this link, I now begin to understand what Shakespeare meant
by 'spangled starlight sheen' [A Midsummer Night's Dream].

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kgmpers
The City Dark is a pleasant documentary about the loss of our night skies and
what it means for us and other animals. Great soundtrack.

[http://www.thecitydark.com/](http://www.thecitydark.com/)

Trailer:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1fTkF8PIu0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1fTkF8PIu0)

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cellover
Here are good resources to find dark areas:

darksitefinder.com/maps.html (world coverage but not really detailed)

[http://avex-asso.org/dossiers/pl/france/zoom/cdf-normale.htm...](http://avex-
asso.org/dossiers/pl/france/zoom/cdf-normale.html) (France only, very
detailed)

~~~
mast
Attilla Danko has some really useful information on his website
[http://cleardarksky.com/csk/](http://cleardarksky.com/csk/)

He can generate clear sky charts for most of Canada and the U.S. You can see
light pollution maps and there are links to this Google Maps light pollution
overlay:

[http://djlorenz.github.io/astronomy/lp2006/overlay/dark.html](http://djlorenz.github.io/astronomy/lp2006/overlay/dark.html)

~~~
mkaziz
This is great, thanks.

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bmurali
I remember my first time watching the sky in pitch darkness! It was in death
valley and the picture is so vivid in my memory. I was amazed, shocked and
delighted all at the same time to see so many stars in the sky! It's a view I
miss to this day.

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cesarbs
Anyone knows what is a good place around the Seattle area to watch the sky at
night? I know I'll probably have to drive quite a bit out of the city, but I'm
looking for an option where I don't have to leave the state just for that :)

~~~
mikestew
Note that I've done none of this, but if you're looking for "closest possible"
I'd travel out to the Snoqualmie Pass area and head up something like NF-54 to
Stampede Pass. Probably still too much light, but it's an hour one-way. Don't
try it in the winter, and a Subaru Outback-ish vehicle would be preferred
(though I saw a late-model Mustang come off Stampede Pass this past week). One
of these days I'll take my R1200GS motorcycle up there in the middle of the
night.

If you're looking for more dark, but more travel time, just about anything
between Snoqualmie Pass and Spokane and off I-90 a ways should offer a good
bit of darkness. Think US-97 toward the Canadian border: open high desert, not
a lot of civilization.

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UrMomReadsHN
Does anyone know of a site that lists good stargazing spots? Whenever I try to
look I get some "top 10 places in the world." Well, that doesn't help me since
I'm looking somewhere that is close enough to drive to.

~~~
MiguelVieira
[http://www.jshine.net/astronomy/dark_sky/](http://www.jshine.net/astronomy/dark_sky/)

~~~
UrMomReadsHN
Great! Thanks!

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moron4hire
This was one of the things that bothered me the most about moving to a city as
an adult. I didn't miss the people I grew up with (heeeeell no), but I noticed
the lack of a night sky actually started to wear on me.

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neilunadkat12
I remember being out in the isle of Skye for a couple of nights during the
summer and thats honestly when I thought, man there a lot of stars in the
sky.. Somethings you can't notice in a city..

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CaRDiaK
Great article. Recently subscribed to the quarterly prints from Nautil.us,
they are incredibly well put together and look fantastic.

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nilsimsa
I used to get a pretty clear view of the milky way in Flag Staff, AZ a decade
back. I wonder if that is still possible now.

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nether
Even I, an ancient wizard, am boggled by this. Why have we squandered our
night skies?

