The Importance of Dark Skies

A Q&A in the Daily Yonder between Anya Petrone Slepyan and astrophotographer Peter Lipscomb explains the importance of dark skies for humans.

Lipscomb calls the night sky ‘the world’s oldest natural resource,’ saying, “the night sky is both a global ecosystem and something that has informed and inspired our kind for all the thousands of years of human history.” From using it to create calendars and navigation to its spiritual significance across cultures, humans have relied on the sky and the stars throughout our history.

Now, “What was common to the human experience across the globe less than 150 years ago has now become the domain of a few.” For Lipscomb, this means that we are “losing an opportunity to connect to a part of our natural world that defines what it means to be a creature on this planet.” Additionally, the loss of dark nights can disrupt our rest and sleep cycles, leading to health problems.

Lipscomb supports efforts to mitigate light pollution. His suggestions: “Light things only to the level they need to be lit;” “Keep the light facing downwards;” “Avoid light trespassing by setting and shielding the light properly so that it is contained within the property of its origin;” and “Avoid blue-spectrum LED lights.” For Lipscomb, “All it takes is just being sensible as far as how we use our outdoor lighting.”