Seeking the Dark Sky

When traveling we often deliberately seek a place with a dark sky. Why?

Well, we love the beauty of stars, planets, and our own moon. Enjoying the night sky also helps us track the seasons and maintain our skills of allowing our eyes to adjust to the dark so we see well. Being outdoors is more than a daytime pleasure.

Quiet of Pre-Dawn Walks…

Frequently, in the pre-dawn hours, both winter and summer, Marion walks the horseshoe loop or labyrinth in our front yard. Rich easily navigates the yard with dark trained eyes.

…And Evening Calm

In the evenings, we venture out on our back deck after dark to look up. On clear nights the brightest stars are clearly visible but when we look north, we see a huge smudge of light from the town of Marion. To the south is a bigger smudge of Cedar Rapids’ artificial lights. Combined they mask all but the brightest stars. So, when we travel, we seek dark quiet places.

Light Pollutuion & Utility Bills

Light pollution comes from zillions of lights in signs, streetlights, front yards and back porches. Together they mask the sky’s majesty. The sad part is that much of this lighting serves no purpose other than driving up the utility bill. Many people live their entire life without seeing the Milky Way or other amazing nighttime treasures.

Useless Light Pollution

An example of useless light pollution is a bright blue advertising sign we see about a half mile north of our house. It advertises a dialysis center, but the sign points at 110 acres of woods and only a few houses, including ours. We doubt the owls and deer seek dialysis, so all the sign does is dampen the night sky and increase the company’s electric bill.

Progressive Cities

Progressive cities recognize the beauty of the night sky and work with residents to reduce light pollution. A few years ago, we visited Fort Davis, Texas, and were thrilled at the beauty we saw overhead. Town lighting is muted and few residents keep lights on after dark. While there we also attended a fun star party at the nearby McDonald Observatory. In Iowa our favorite dark sky location is Whiterock Conservancy, but the sky is also gorgeous at Yellow River State Forest. We find dark sky locations on the website darksky.org. The website also shows ways to reduce excess outdoor lighting.

Does Artificial Lighting Deter Crime?

Justifications for flooding the landscape with light all night usually center on crime and personal safety. Does artificial light really help?

The Internet is filled with studies from many places around the world on night time lighting’s impact on crime and safety. Results vary, but there seems agreement on at least two points: Night lighting is expensive and its effectiveness at reducing burglaries and assaults is marginal. Here’s is Rich’s experience:

Training in Dark Sky

Army training years ago helped me understand night safety.  My sergeant’s words remain vivid in my mind.  “If someone out there is trying to kill you, get out of the light and into the darkest place you can find and be still. If you are in a pool of light and the bad guy is in the dark, he can see you and you can’t see him.”

Years later Rich was director of the Indian Creek Nature Center near Cedar Rapids.  One year the building suffered several break ins and he asked the Cedar Rapids police for advice. A wise officer gave excellent helped. “The standard rule is to flood the place with light, but I don’t agree. If the building’s completely dark a burglar would need to hold a flashlight in his teeth while trying to pry open a door or window. So, keep it dark,” he said. It worked. Burglars seemed less attracted to the dark building.

Return of the Sextent

The branches of the US military now train soldiers in celestial navigation for a variety of reasons

 AFGU

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific conducts training for citizens, espciecally educators through its Astronomy From the Ground Up. While working in the public schools, Marion trained through AFGU and became a Dark Sky Ranger at the program in Bryce Canyon. “It was an engaging, practical program and I am still in touch with some of the participants,” she noted.

When to Most Burglaries Happen?

Most home burglaries happen between 10 am and 3 pm for the simple reason that most residents are at work or school then. Lighting isn’t a factor. Ways to discourage burglars include:

• Make it look like someone’s home. Keep a car visible in the driveway to discourage a criminal. A timer that turns an interior light on and off in the evening and at different times may also reduce burglary odds. But, again, most happen during the day.
• A loud aggressive dog might help keep a bad guy (or girl) away.
• Security cameras may help.
• Sturdy locked doors make a break in a physical challenge.

Does Outdoor Lighting Enhance Safety?

The answer is, maybe. By safety we don’t mean assaults. We mean helping a person walk outdoors without tripping and being able to safely navigate to a destination. There are two easy ways to provide outdoor light that’s not on continuously during dark hours.

• Sensor activated lights are readily available and easy to install. They have an adjustable timer, providing light duration ranging from a few seconds to many minutes. Some don’t need special wiring. An internal battery is charged by a solar electric collector. These provide temporary light without boosting the electric bill.
• A good flashlight or headlamp work fine. Modern flashlights normally have an LED bulb that produces plenty of light while drawing little electricity from the battery. Some units are rechargeable.

More to Value of Dark Sky

Dark Sky International reminds us that light pollution disrupts wildlife, our own circadian rhythms, contributes to climate warming, and wastes money.

We want everyone who visits our Winding Pathways website to go outside and enjoy the beauty of the dark sky.  What a shame that it’s muted by light pollution.  Change often happens with just one person, so we encourage everyone to do their part and keep unnecessary lights turned off.