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42 images Created 18 Jan 2014

ENVIRONMENT: Light Pollution

Already the lights are going out in the heavens.
The night sky, that glorious black richness where the Gods of old lived amid the sparkling stars and the wandering planets, is fading from our lives. Fading not into dimness, but awash in light, the unanticipated legacy of Edison's wonder, the light bulb. Barely a century on, the electric lighting has wiped out much the once-vast skyscape of our ancestors. Perhaps eighty percent of the world, or put another way, four out of five of the children born today, may never see the Milky Way again.
If this loss is profound, it is also curable. Great swaths of this storied darkness can be reclaimed, by simple means, with huge savings of resources, and with far-reaching benefits for our climate as well as our heritage.

These images are from The End of Night, published in National Geographic Magazine.
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  • The Milky Way rising over Natural Bridges National Monument in the early morning. This park in southern Utah was the first Dark Sky Park in the United State, with environmental groups and various government bodies working together to tame light pollution so that the splendors of the night sky are preserved.
    MM7509_20080402_1370-B.jpg
  • November 2008.jpg
  • Chicago glows in the night as clouds drift in off the lake.  The cities pattern of streets, which shows up so distinctly at night, is unusually rigid and the core city area is lit almost entirely with sodium vapor lamps.
    MM7509_20080414_3719-B.jpg
  • New York's Central Park shrouded in fog shows the extent of urban lighting in one of the world's major metropolitan areas.
    NewYork_20071203_083-B.jpg
  • The St. Louis Arch is lit at night, creating a spectacular display and also contributing to the light pollution that is common in and around all major metropolitan ares.
    MM7509_20080409_1749-B.jpg
  • Los Angeles urban lighting threatens astronomy at Mount Wilson observatory in California
    MM7509_20080320_0300-B.jpg
  • Retired Canadian businessman Jack Newton enjoys his house in Portal, Arizona where Arizona Sky Villages is developing a community for fans of dark skies.  Homes have telescope domes on the roof and connections to a robotic telescope.
    MM7509_20080405_1540-B.jpg
  • In Portal, Arizona where Arizona Sky Villages is developing a community for fans of dark skies.  Homes have telescope domes on the roof and connections to a robotic telescope. Streets have names like "Milky Way."
    MM7509_20080405_1529-B.jpg
  • Light pollution glow from Salt Lake City visible from the Bonneville Salt Flats over 100 miles away.
    MM7509_20080324_0592-B.jpg
  • A giant spotlight shining up from the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas pierces the night sky. Such lighting contributes to light pollution, and in particular can be a problem for bats, birds, moths and other insects attracted to the beam.
    MM7509_20080320_0191-B.jpg
  • A giant spotlight shining up from the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas pierces the night sky. Such lighting contributes to light pollution, and in particular can be a problem for bats, birds, moths and other insects attracted to the beam.
    MM7509_20080320_0147-B.jpg
  • Stars and the Milky Way above a hillside of Saguaro cactus east of Peridot, Arizona.
    MM7509_20080404_1473-B.jpg
  • Stars and the Milky Way above a hillside of Saguaro cactus east of Peridot, Arizona.
    MM7509_20080404_1434-B.jpg
  • The St. Louis Arch is lit at night, creating a spectacular display and also contributing to the light pollution that is common in and around all major metropolitan ares.
    MM7509_20080409_1804-B.jpg
  • The St. Louis Arch is lit at night, creating a spectacular display and also contributing to the light pollution that is common in and around all major metropolitan ares.
    MM7509_20080409_1733-B.jpg
  • Chicago glows in the night as clouds drift in off the lake.  The cities pattern of streets, which shows up so distinctly at night, is unusually rigid and the core city area is lit almost entirely with sodium vapor lamps.
    MM7509_20080414_3639-B.jpg
  • Denver lit up at night with glow of light pollution, as seen from the foothills of the Rockie Mountains.
    MM7509_20080319_0022-B.jpg
  • MM7509_20080326_0689-B.jpg
  • Night lighting at a ski resort contributes to light pollution
    MM7509_20080331_0986-B.jpg
  • Night lighting at a ski resort contributes to light pollution
    MM7509_20080331_1144-B.jpg
  • Night lighting at a ski resort contributes to light pollution
    MM7509_20080331_0894-B.jpg
  • Toronto seen at night from the CN Tower.
    MM7509_20080410_2682-B.jpg
  • Volunteer Brian Armstrong patrols downtown Tornonto before dawn, trying to rescue birds that have become trapped by the light and tall buildings.  This morning he rescued a Virginia Rail.  He was too late to save a Yellow Bellied Sapsucker.
    MM7509_20080412_3291-B.jpg
  • Michael Mesure and his volunteers from F.L.A.P. (Fatal Light Awareness Program) do their annual laying out of the birds that were killed running into downtown buildings in Toronto.  Birds confused by urban lighting become confused and trapped in the lighting of skyscrapers.
    MM7509_20080411_2874-B.jpg
  • Sandhill Cranes feed in one of the neighborhoods of Harmony, Florida.  The community uses street lighting with full cutoff fixtures so light remains low and environmentally friendly.  They advertise their dark skies as part of their appeal and even don't allow night tennis courts that would mar the night sky.
    MM7509_20080516_5084-B.jpg
  • Endangered sea turtles struggle ashore on Juno Beach, north of Palm Beach, Florida, to lay their eggs in the soft sands, impaired by the shore lighting that can scare them away.  Worse, when the baby turtles hatch they often become confused by the lighting and turn away from the sea, making them easy prey for predators.
    MM7509_20080515_4770-B.jpg
  • Endangered sea turtles struggle ashore on Juno Beach, north of Palm Beach, Florida, to lay their eggs in the soft sands, impaired by the shore lighting that can scare them away.  Worse, when the baby turtles hatch they often become confused by the lighting and turn away from the sea, making them easy prey for predators.
    MM7509_20080515_4797 - Version 2.jpg
  • Endangered sea turtles struggle ashore on Juno Beach, north of Palm Beach, Florida, to lay their eggs in the soft sands, impaired by the shore lighting that can scare them away.  Worse, when the baby turtles hatch they often become confused by the lighting and turn away from the sea, making them easy prey for predators.
    MM7509_20080515_4891-B.jpg
  • Endangered sea turtles struggle ashore on Juno Beach, north of Palm Beach, Florida, to lay their eggs in the soft sands, impaired by the shore lighting that can scare them away.  Worse, when the baby turtles hatch they often become confused by the lighting and turn away from the sea, making them easy prey for predators.
    MM7509_20080515_4884.jpg
  • San Franciso and the Golden Gate Bridge, seen from the Marin Headlands.  Even though a relatively "green" city in a state that pays attention to night lighting, San Francisco is largely not different than an large urban area and puts out a lot of light into the night, creating a night light environment of its own.
    SanFranPan I-B.jpg
  • San Franciso and the Golden Gate Bridge, seen from the Marin Headlands.  Even though a relatively "green" city in a state that pays attention to night lighting, San Francisco is largely not different than an large urban area and puts out a lot of light into the night, creating a night light environment of its own.
    MM7509_200803220396-B.jpg
  • San Franciso and the Golden Gate Bridge, seen from the Marin Headlands.  Even though a relatively "green" city in a state that pays attention to night lighting, San Francisco is largely not different than an large urban area and puts out a lot of light into the night, creating a night light environment of its own.
    MM7509_200803220393-B.jpg
  • Residents of Cuba, Kansas gather to see the effects of lighting in their community of some 200 people.  The local utility company offered to help by turning out the lights in the whole town so that the contrast between normal street lighting and dark skies could be seen in this town in the sparsely populated area of north central Kansas. The gas station is on the left and the community hall is on the right.
    MM7509_20080514_4420-B.jpg
  • Residents of Cuba, Kansas gather to see the effects of lighting in their community of some 200 people.  The local utility company offered to help by turning out the lights in the whole town so that the contrast between normal street lighting and dark skies could be seen in this town in the sparsely populated area of north central Kansas. The gas station is on the left and the community hall is on the right.
    MM7509_20080514_4414-B.jpg
  • Mining mill in Utah lit up at night.
    MM7509_20080326_0726-B.jpg
  • MM7509_20080326_0721-B.jpg
  • Light from the nearby growing city of Moab fills the sky over Balanced Rock formation in Arches National Park. Park officials are worried about the growing effects of light pollution.
    MM7509_20080402_1410.jpg
  • Downtown main street of Liberal, Kansas sports new streetlights with old-time character, but which pour light out in all directions and up into the sky.  With no shielding the exposed globes cause much glare that makes seeing difficult.
    MM7509_20080406_1675-B.jpg
  • Detroit from the air at night with lights on an empty parking lot.
    MM7509_20080410_2248-B.jpg
  • City lighting that is bad for light pollution because light goes out in all directions.
    MM7509_20080412_3459-B.jpg
  • Chicago glows in the night as clouds drift in off the lake.  The cities pattern of streets, which shows up so distinctly at night, is unusually rigid and the core city area is lit almost entirely with sodium vapor lamps.
    MM7509_20080414_3767-B.jpg
  • Milky Way over the Flint Hills of Kansas
    Big Star Pan-B.jpg