Photo Theme: Our Night Sky
2012 November 30
This weekend, take an evening stroll or take a peak out your window. Can you see the stars?
Share a photo of what lights up your night sky with State of the Environment on Flickr.
Eastern Washington, July 21, 2012 by Scott Butner on Flickr.
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I think this is an oft-neglected form of “pollution” — while posing no serious health risks, it definitely alters our ability to relate to the natural environment. In many parts of the country, including the relatively rural part of eastern Washington State that I live in, finding truly dark skies has become almost impossible — taking away such natural treasures as the Milky Way, the Aurora Borealis (northern lights) and meteors, all wonders of the night sky.
In the photo above, for instance, the glow on the horizon is from my home town of Richland, WA — more than 40 miles distant from where the photo was shot. Finding truly dark skies — the kind you can set loose your imagination in — requires drives of 2-3 hours.
Beautiful landscape. Stars are looking great.