By Jeremy Berlin, executive summary by darmansjah
They say on a clear day you can see forever. What about a clear
night? If you’re on the isle of Sark, meteors, constellations, and a
horizon-spanning Milky Way are on view. The tiny, rustic Channel Island-2.1
square miles, 600-some residents, no cars or public lighting-has long been a
haven for naked-eye astronomy. This year it became the first island in the
world deemed a Dark Sky Place by the International Dark Sky Association, a U.S.
based nonprofit promoting solutions to light pollution.
Sark joins about a dozen places worldwide recognized by the
group for their commitment to night-sky clarity. Steve Owens, the astronomer
who led Sark’s application process, says the designation came after a six-month
“light audit” led to the retrofitting of 30 fixtures causing an orange glow. For
midwinter stargazers, that means 12 hours of darkest night await.
No comments:
Post a Comment