We have all been stolen from!

Our night skies have been stolen from us.

Our ancestors used to look up at the stars every night. They used to wonder. They were humbled. We created stories of great heroes and gods. Now, as we move further into the future these heroes and gods fade. Their stories washed away by unnecessarily bright and un-managed artificial lighting.


This image is a rough showcase of something called the Bortle Scale. It's meant to show what the sky in your area probably looks like based off of the level of light pollution from nearby settlements.

Statistically speaking, the person reading this (hi) grew up and/or lives in an area of 6 (the suburbs) or higher. You have missed out on so much wonder and beauty that is to be found in the night sky. It doesn't have to be this way and it never had to. I grew up near a prison and my skies were more of a high 5 on the bortle scale. I've been fascinated by space ever since I was a child and yet the majority of it is just not visible to me.

This is an image of the continental US with an overlay showing the severity of light pollution. As you can see cities are major players here. If you would like more detail about the area you live, you can visit this website or download this app (Android, iOS) to see for yourself.


Short story time; About 2 years ago I took a short drive out to a darker spot in the town I lived in at the time. Out there was this boardwalk with a tower over the water and from the top was a clear 180° view of the sky. I was actually able to use an app on my phone to capture some long-exposure images that showed alot more stars than I could see with my eyes.. However a new development on the water nearby threatened my view. They installed these absurdly bright led lights to cover the entire NOTHING they had going on there. These lights shone directly on the tower and washed out my vision and my photos rendering me incapable of seeing more than the brightest stars and planets. 
As a result I lost interest in looking for a while. That is, until a few months ago when I decided to drive off the path a little and found a spot those lights did not touch. Out there I had a wonderful view of many stars (still fewer than the area I grew up in). A couple nights in I noticed something out of the corner of my eye whilst observing Jupiter. A small question-mark shaped object. The moment I realized what I was seeing, I could not stop staring and nearly shed a tear. This was the first night sky object I'd ever seen with my naked eye. This object is known as M45, Pleiades, or Seven Sisters. 
Finally about 2 months ago I moved to a new place with a bortle scale of a low to mid 3 and just the other night I noticed how much brighter the star cluster really is and this time actually shed tears. 
Edit: I went out after writing this and realized I can also see the Orion Nebula out here. I am so stoked to get a telescope.

I'm telling you this story because I want to see the night sky return. I want everyone to see the beauty that the universe once showed our ancestors and is waiting for you to see once more. I am a firm believer that every person no matter age, color or gender should see the unpolluted night sky and look out at mountains in the distance at least once in their lives. It's such an eye opening and humbling experience. I also tell you this to make more people aware of what has been taken from them.

You have been stolen from. The beauty of the universe has been stolen from you. It does not have to be this way.
I am by no means an expert but there are some incredibly simple ways you as an individual can actually help solve this problem. And no I'm not going to suggest you live in complete darkness or move out of the city, in-fact being in the city and spreading this message would help greatly. Without further ado, here is a non-exhaustive list of things you can do to mitigate light pollution FOR FREE without impacting your day-to-day;

• Switch out bright white LED outdoor lighting to warmer tones.
  Absurdly bright LEDs are often overkill for any scenario they are necessary in. A typical incandescent or sodium bulb is more than enough for most use cases.

• Make sure all outdoor lighting regardless of bulb type is aimed at the ground or surfaces that dont reflect alot of light. Lighting that is aimed up or aimed at reflective surfaces will bounce that light right up into the sky. This light is then scattered by clouds and moisture in the air contributing greatly to the problem.

• Cover lights that cannot be aimed. This is quite simple as all you need is to either buy or make a shroud. The goal here is not to cover the light such that it is pointless, but rather to block all the light going into the sky and/or redirect it to the ground. Your lights are meant to light up the area around your home not the sky. A shroud can be as simple as finding one for your lighting fixtures or building one out of anything you can find that might work.

• Contact your town. If you live in an area where pesky streetlights are out of your control, contact your town about them. If they are particularly bright or shine directly into your home, you can ask that they install a shroud or switch the bulb. Get your neighbors to contact your town as well, the more voices the better.
  
  
• Share the message with your neighbors, friends and family. Spreading awareness anywhere you can is a surefire way to help combat the problem.
  
  

Light pollution is an absolute scourge on our night skies and is an entirely preventable problem. Literally anyone can take action and it starts with you and me. Please share this message with everyone you know. If you want to learn more about this topic you can contact me directly or better yet, check out Dark Sky International. If you'd rather watch a video, here are some of my favorites on the subject;

Why No One Can See the Stars Anymore - Be Smart 

You will NEVER see The Milky Way again - Astro Kobi 

Why you should care about light pollution - DW Planet A