
Let there be dark: the battle to save our sky from light pollution - pseudolus
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/dec/15/light-pollution-north-york-moors-national-park-dark-skies
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pseudolus
A listing of International Dark Sky Parks can be found at:

[https://www.darksky.org/our-
work/conservation/idsp/parks/](https://www.darksky.org/our-
work/conservation/idsp/parks/)

In the US, the following are Dark Sky Parks:

[https://www.npca.org/articles/1806-celebrate-dark-skies-
at-t...](https://www.npca.org/articles/1806-celebrate-dark-skies-at-
these-26-national-
parks?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-4znzt235gIVDl8NCh2-MwIHEAAYASAAEgIuffD_BwE)

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ksaj
Here is a project with some overlap:
[https://www.cleardarksky.com/csk/](https://www.cleardarksky.com/csk/)

The sensors collect data on cloud cover, transparency, plus more Earth-bound
measurements like temperature and wind speed, and display them in a scrolling
grid.

The sensor stations, taken as a pseudo-grid on the ground, can be used to
create maps that tell very intricate details about atmospheric motion, etc,
and also produce highly accurate weather forecasts. In fact, the data in the
forecast half of the grid is calculated by knowing the current conditions at
other stations, what stations their predictions were derived from, etc
outwardly down the line.

Of course, one of the sensors (and therefore, also output measurements on the
grid) is specifically for darkness, which is what made me connect it to this
article.

I used to own property near one of the stations that is in a known dark area.
There was also a bird sanctuary across the road. Between the two, it felt like
a whole other planet compared to the mega city where I live.

The density of stars you see in proper darkness is really stunning. If you
went out to the suburbs and looked up, you might think you see them all, but
it's not even close.

The only recent time a lot of people got to see this simultaneously was during
the Northeast Power Outage of 2003. Only then it was clear to anyone who
looked up, just how many satellites pass over every few minutes.

