Latest news with #lightpollution
CBC
6 hours ago
- Science
- CBC
Under attack: How humanity is losing the night sky
Losing the dark isn't just about the stars. It has dire consequences for human health as well as the natural world. Your browser does not support the video tag. Pause By Nicole Mortillaro Jun. 21, 2025 Nestled atop Cerro Paranal, a 2,600-metre mountain in the Atacama desert in Chile, sits the Very Large Telescope. It's not really a single telescope, as the name suggests, but four giant eyes on the sky housed in silver metallic domes. The surrounding area is nothing but mountains and hills — and a few other telescopes. The nearest small town is 40 kilometres away. The air is still. It is rarely cloudy, and when it gets dark, the Milky Way, so dense with stars, casts shadows of the giant silver structures across the dusty landscape. 'It's majestic. And it's humbling,' said Ruskin Hartley, CEO and executive director of DarkSky International, a non-profit organization that advocates for dark skies. ADVERTISEMENT 'It gives you a real sense … of the scale of the natural world and the universe, and we're just a tiny part of it.' A night sky as pristine as this is rare and becoming rarer thanks to light pollution. But even if one were to get away from light pollution and stare up at the stars — which have guided humanity from its earliest beginnings, influencing science, art, faith and wonder — they would still be inundated with satellites invariably intruding on the view. And the loss of the night sky isn't just a disconnect from these past influences. It also has dire consequences for humans and wildlife alike. Roughly 20 kilometres from the Very Large Telescope (VLT), another far larger telescope is under construction: the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). It will house a 39-metre mirror that will be used to peer deep into the cosmos and take images of distant planetary systems and potentially habitable planets, among other things. This region of Chile is one of the darkest, most still places on Earth. It's the very reason why the European Southern Observatory (ESO) chose the location to build its telescopes. But this pristine environment is under threat. Last December, AES Andes, a subsidiary of the U.S. energy company the AES Corporation, submitted an environmental impact assessment for a large industrial project. The 3,000-hectare energy megaproject would consist of ammonia and hydrogen production plants, along with a solar plant and a wind farm. In its construction phase, there would be thousands of people onsite. Once completed, there would be hundreds of people involved in its 24-hour-a-day operations, said Itziar de Gregorio-Monsalvo, ESO's head of the office for science. Basically, it would be similar to a small city. And small cities have lights. Lots of them. And it would be just 11 kilometres from the VLT and 20 kilometres from the ELT. That exquisite dark sky would become tainted with light pollution, brightening the sky and threatening the science operations of some of the most important telescopes in the world. 'It's going to be devastating,' said de Gregorio-Monsalvo. 'Basically, we will not be able to observe as a professional observatory anymore. I want to emphasize that we selected [this] place because of the condition of the atmosphere and of the darkness.' Closing the observatories would be no small consequence. The VLT has been contributing to astronomical discoveries since it began operations in 1998. It was the first telescope to take an image of an exoplanet in 2004 and helped confirm the existence of a black hole at the centre of our galaxy. The authors of the paper describing the discovery received a Nobel Prize in 2020. Your browser does not support the video tag. Pause The AES environmental assessment report found that the industrial project would increase light pollution above the VLT by at least 35 per cent. And that would severely impact its ability to detect Earth-like exoplanets and distant galaxies or even the detection of minor asteroids that could be on a collision course with Earth. 'I am quite concerned,' de Gregorio-Monsalvo said. 'I think it's quite easy to protect these areas for doing astronomy because they are windows to the universe.' She does make it clear, however, that the ESO isn't opposed to the green energy project in and of itself. 'We really support these green energy projects." Your browser does not support the video tag. Pause But, she added: 'We know Chile is long enough … and [moving it] between 50 or 100 kilometres away would be enough for not impacting our observatories.' And she noted that more and more telescopes around the world face the threat of light pollution, mostly from nearby expanding towns and cities. But light pollution is not only threatening important scientific discoveries. It's also diminishing the human connection with the stars. Sky grief It's Aug. 14, 2003, shortly after 4 p.m., and Todd Carlson is lying on his sofa in Goodwood, Ont., about 60 kilometres northeast of Toronto, when the power goes out. At first, he doesn't think much of it. Maybe it's a local transformer issue. But then something occurs to him. What if this lasts into the night? 'Ten seconds later, it hit me: this could be good for the selfish astronomy guy,' he said. The sky was clear, the atmosphere was stable and the lights were out. It was an astronomer's dream. The power didn't come back any time soon. Instead, it was knocked out in parts of Ontario and the U.S. northeast and Midwest for hours. In some places, the blackout lasted two days. While cities like Toronto, New York and Cleveland were bogged down in traffic congestion and chaos, Carlson was in his element. A night of observing without light pollution? Could there be anything better? Then he had a thought. 'I should take a photo of this. I really should, because straight to the southwest was the Milky Way,' he said. So he did. And when the power came on the next day, he decided to take a photo of what it's like on any ordinary day, just for comparison. Those two photos became a rallying cry around the world of what we've lost: the stars and the wonder of the night sky. In 2023, the Smithsonian included them in its ' Lights Out: Recovering our Night Sky ' exhibit that runs until the end of December. Now, 22 years later, light pollution has become even worse. 'We have lost something that makes us human, something that makes us deeply human, that beautiful stew of being curious and holding awe and mystery and creativity and gratitude,' said Aparna Venkatesan, an astronomer in the department of physics and astronomy at the University of San Francisco. 'It's not just human. It's very humanizing.' The night sky has influenced humanity from its earliest beginnings. It helped us navigate; it was used for time-keeping and agricultural practices; it inspired wonder and curiosity; it roused writers and artists; and it created mythologies and religions. Mehrnoosh Tahani, an astrophysicist and a Banting Fellow at Stanford University in California, started the Open Cultural Astronomy Forum, which offers seminars on the subject. 'I was actually surprised when I started cultural astronomy … I was surprised how many people joined the seminars,' she said. 'I think teaching it is very important, not only in terms of diversifying the field of astronomy, but also trying to figure out how we got here, how we have the knowledge that we have today.' She said the seminars have included astronomical lore from eastern Nigeria to Indigenous communities in Australia and Canada. And there's evidence that planispheres — maps of the constellations — were being used as far back as 5,000 years ago by the Sumerians. Humans come from the stars. We are literally made of ' star stuff,' as the late American astronomer and planetary scientist Carl Sagan said. Yet, the Milky Way — with its billions and billions of stars — is invisible to most of humanity. In fact, a 2016 study found that the Milky Way is hidden from more than 80 per cent of the world and 99 per cent of North Americans. With this in mind, Venkatesan and astronomer John Barentine wrote a letter to Science magazine in 2023 that appeared in its special edition titled: 'Losing the Darkness.' In it, the pair suggested the term 'noctalgia' to convey 'sky grief' or the loss of the night sky. 'This represents far more than mere loss of environment: we are witnessing loss of heritage, place-based language, identity, storytelling, millennia-old sky traditions and our ability to conduct traditional practices grounded in the ecological integrity of what we call home,' they wrote. But there's also more to it than that. Our bodies evolved in a day/night cycle, called the circadian rhythm. And there's increasing evidence that disrupting that rhythm has consequences. 'More and more we're learning that day/night — that light/dark cycle — is a very fundamental part of the ecology of the world, and [has] fundamental impacts on our life and on our health,' Hartley said. Light pollution Sky brightness Very bright Very dark Sudbury Sudbury Quebec City Quebec City Ottawa Ottawa Montreal Montreal Barrie Barrie Toronto Toronto Buffalo Buffalo Boston Boston Windsor Windsor Cleveland Cleveland New York New York Pittsburg Pittsburgh 100 km Source: (CBC) He also noted that there have been numerous studies showing a higher incidence of many diseases, such as cancer, in those who have experienced artificial light at night (ALAN), such as shift workers. Light pollution also has effects on birds, causing them to crash into buildings, as well as insects, which are facing declines. To be clear, it's not that DarkSky is advocating for no lighting. They want responsible lighting, where light faces down and isn't pouring out and upwards, causing sky glow, or the brightening of the night sky. 'You walk around a city at night and you will see countless unshielded lights, particularly wall packs. They are not making anyone safer. They are the anathema, antithesis, of safety,' Hartley said. 'It's also very common to overlight spaces … to a factor of five or 10. Well, that's pure waste.' Ersatz stars The grassy field is full of tents, RVs, cars and pickup trucks. But more importantly, it's filled with telescopes both large and small as far as the eye can see. This is Starfest, an annual star party for amateur astronomers that is run every August by the North York Astronomical Association in Toronto. Its location has been the same since 1982: in Ayton, Ont., roughly 140 kilometres northwest of Toronto. For some of the 600-plus attendees, this is the one time of year when they escape the light-polluted skies of their homes and camp beneath the Milky Way that stretches overhead. The sun set some time ago, but it's still not dark yet. People are busily assembling their telescopes or checking on their telescope set-ups, some chatting with one another, others silently checking cords and cameras attached to their telescopes, ready to photograph distant galaxies, nebulas or star clusters. Suddenly, a disembodied voice cries out and all eyes are on the sky to the southwest. There, a dozen or so ghostly lights cross the sky, moving from west to east. Everyone here knows exactly what they're looking at. There are no claims of UFOs here. They're looking at a Starlink train of satellites. After about a minute, the strange lights disappear as they enter Earth's shadow. Grumbles about 'stupid' satellites can be heard. Currently, there are more than 11,000 operational satellites in orbit. Of those, more than 6,700 belong to SpaceX's Starlink. But that number changes regularly, with two launches a week putting up dozens more. These groupings of satellites are called constellations, and they're becoming problematic for astronomers. Your browser does not support the video tag. Pause The goal of Starlink is to provide satellite internet capabilities to practically everyone on the planet, no matter how remote the location. In order to achieve that goal, the company requires many satellites for coverage. At one point, it said that it wants to create a 'megaconstellation' of 42,000. When the first Starlinks were launched in May 2019, the astronomical community took notice — quickly. It appeared that no one had actually considered how bright these objects would be in the night sky, particularly in the days before they are raised into their final orbits. The Starlink trains were interfering with professional observatories that now had to deal with streaks of light going through their data. It's not that these lines couldn't be removed, but the community realized that there were going to be thousands of these satellites disrupting their research. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) stepped in and created the Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference (CPS). SpaceX worked with them 'almost from Day 1,' said astronomer and CPS co-director Connie Walker, and it continues to do so, trying to mitigate the reflectivity of its satellites. The company tried a visor and, on two occasions, different paint. While the latest change in paint has dimmed them slightly, newer satellites are bigger, so they are still reflecting a similar amount of light. 'These constellations, they were designed for internet access, and that's a viable thing that is needed around the world,' said Walker. Starlink visualization by Will DePue, 'But it can still obstruct our astronomical observations by creating these bright streaks on images and also interfering with radio telescopes.' But it's not just SpaceX that wants to launch these constellations. There are far more planned by other players, including Amazon's Kuiper constellation (with plans for 3,200), OneWeb (planned 632), and China with a planned 14,000. 'My stomach just drops when I see the satellites,' said Samantha Lawler, an associate professor of astronomy at the University of Regina who keeps a close eye on satellites and their orbits. 'It absolutely ruins any enjoyment of the night sky for me.' She noted that from her farm in rural Saskatchewan, she can see dozens of satellites pass overhead at any given time. And that's before the tens of thousands that are planned. 'There's no way we can have that many satellites up there,' she said. 'We will have collisions way before all these companies launch.' The future So, how do you protect a night sky that has already disappeared? Hartley said that when LED lighting came in, cities began to install it as a way of saving money. But LEDs are brighter, and because they're cheaper, cities may be more inclined to put more lighting in areas. But cities — and individuals — can make changes. 'The city of Tucson is a great example. When they did retrofit their street lights here in town, from the start, they decided that they wanted to have their energy savings, and they wanted to limit skyglow,' Hartley said. The city invested in energy-efficient LEDs, with adaptive controls: from sunset to midnight the lights operate at 90 per cent and then, after midnight, the lights are reduced to 60 per cent. 'They wanted … to protect the major observatories around the region. And as a result, they were able to have massive energy savings. They're saving $3 million a year in energy every year, and they reduced sky glow by eight per cent.' And individuals can make wiser choices about the lighting they use around their homes, he added, including using lighting only when needed and having shielded light fixtures that prevent light from dispersing outwards and upwards. There needs to be a will to make the effort, Harley said. But skyglow and the loss of the Milky Way isn't on most people's radars. 'We can only value what we know, and if we don't know some things, how do we advocate?' Venkatesan said. 'It's kind of like pollution and other aspects, right? If we've never known quiet, a space without noise pollution, or we've never known clean water, it's hard to know what that feels like.' But that experience — sitting under a truly dark sky — can be transformative. 'I think going out under a natural dark sky and seeing the Milky Way, and seeing the cosmos and just letting that wash over you is the ultimate experience of longevity,' Hartley said. 'You're looking back into the deepest expanses of time, and … there's a sense of awe that changes people forever.' Though the Milky Way may be something that most of the world's population only sees in photographs, Venkatesan encourages people to travel to dark-sky locations, to sit beneath a sky awash in starlight, to experience what inspired our ancestors, that inspired tales and guided whole civilizations. 'Care about dark skies,' she said. 'Because it's part of being human.' Top video: David Cortner About the Author Related Stories Footer Links My Account Profile CBC Gem Newsletters Connect with CBC Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Mobile RSS Podcasts Contact CBC Submit Feedback Help Centre Audience Relations, CBC P.O. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6 Toll-free (Canada only): 1-866-306-4636 TTY/Teletype writer: 1-866-220-6045 About CBC Corporate Info Sitemap Reuse & Permission Terms of Use Privacy Jobs Our Unions Independent Producers Political Ads Registry AdChoices Services Ombudsman Public Appearances Commercial Services CBC Shop Doing Business with Us Renting Facilities Accessibility It is a priority for CBC to create a website that is accessible to all Canadians including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. About CBC Accessibility Accessibility Feedback © 2025 CBC/Radio-Canada. All rights reserved. Visitez
BBC News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
New ninth series of Our Lives commissioned with 12 episodes airing on BBC One and BBC iPlayer
BBC One's celebrated Our Lives returns for its ninth series – and will showcase daredevil wingwalking in England, the World Haggis Championships in Scotland, the UK's first-ever 'Dark Sky Officer' in Wales, and rowers from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland attempting to break a Guinness World Record. Celebrating home-grown storytelling from across the UK, Our Lives continues to reflect the diversity and vibrance of British life, by telling extraordinary stories from ordinary people across all four nations. England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland will each have three episodes broadcasting on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from Monday 14 July. Rhuanedd Richards, the BBC's Acting Director of Nations, says: 'Our Lives is a fantastic celebration of people's resilience, passion, and determination, living in extraordinary ways across the UK. 'Telling these unique stories from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England, showcases how remarkable and authentic life across these islands really is, and how communities are brought together by amazing ways of living.' Watch Our Lives on BBC iPlayer and add to your Watchlist Wales Guardian of the Night Cwmni Da Holding the job title of the first Dark Sky Officer in the UK, Dani Robertson joins forces with communities across Wales, in a bid to tackle light pollution. She reveals how Ynys Enlli's status as the first Dark Sky Sanctuary in Europe has helped save an entire ecosystem. The Prisoner of Portmeirion Media Atom Adorned with Italianate features, the Welsh village of Portmeirion was the creation of eccentric architect, Clough Williams-Ellis – and was the backdrop for the cult classic 1960s sci-fi TV series 'The Prisoner'. Now, thousands of die-hard fans from around the world gather annually to keep its legacy alive. Dolphin Town Carlam New Quay has the title of the Dolphin Capital of the UK. However, the population of bottlenose dolphins has been declining for a decade. Now, the community rallies together to protect these marine creatures and their livelihoods. Northern Ireland The Social Knitwork Waddell Media Northern Irish fashion designer Hope Macaulay and a team of home knitters gear up to open their first ever shop in Los Angeles. Will this handmade label make it in Hollywood? Row Hard or Row Home: Around Ireland in 32 Days Clean Slate Films The attempt by a crew of four from Belfast and Wexford to row around Ireland. Their dream is to enter the Guinness Book of World Records but to do so, they must complete their journey without a support boat and not being able to set foot on shore. High Stakes Triplevision Films Rope access crews take on the jobs no one else can—scaling cliffs, towers and ships across Northern Ireland. High stakes, big heights, and serious skill. England The Ultimate Wingwalker Wander Films Kirsten is a wingwalker with the world's only formation wingwalking display team. 3 years ago, she and pilot Dave narrowly escaped death when their aircraft was forced to ditch into the sea in front of thousands of spectators. This year they will perform a new move that is more daring and difficult than anything they've ever done before. The World's Oldest Railway Chalk Productions At 300 years old Tanfield Railway in Northumberland is the oldest railway in the world. Now the tireless volunteers who saved it are preparing for a fitting celebration for the whole community. They're against the clock to complete specially restored engines and organise a show like no other. The Film I'll Never See Signpost Films Father and poet Dave Steele captures the profound experience of losing the last of his sight with help of film maker and friend Matt Hopkins. In this moving but ultimately uplifting story, Dave gives a unique insight into his world. Scotland Haggis! The World Championships Tern 70-80 of the finest and proudest butchers from all across Scotland – along with a few Sassenach invaders - will submit their efforts in an attempt to become the second ever world haggis champion. Downhill Highs Caledonia TV Climbing all of Scotland's Munros (mountains over 3,000 feet high) isn't a big enough adrenalin buzz for Sean Green – he carries his bike up the peaks with him so he can mountain bike back down. Now, we follow Sean as he completes his epic challenge – on the iconic and dramatic mountains of Skye and Glencoe. Scotland's Female Fishermen? Specky A new generation of women are calling themselves fishermen in Scotland, as Emma (19), Erin (20), and Isla (16) embark on a fishing trip in the spring season. TW2 Follow for more
CBS News
2 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Nevada City aims for the stars with Dark Sky community certification
In a world that's growing brighter by the year, one small gold rush town is working to keep its night dark and its skies full of stars. Something unique about Nevada City is that it still uses historic gas lamps, which benefit it during mandatory electricity power shut-offs during fire season. But the low-light gas lamps have another benefit, for the night sky. The city is continuing the effort to protect the night sky by applying to become a certified dark sky community. "It's alarming how many people actually can't see stars in the world," said City Planner Lisa McCandless. Light pollution is increasing roughly 10 percent each year, according to Dark Sky International's website. It's an organization committed to protecting night skies on a global level. "One of the reasons I live here is that I can see the stars," Mayor Gary Petersen said. "But you just see over time it starts to decline." "Nevada City has the opportunity to be the first city in Northern California to be certified," said Rod Brown, chair of the Nevada City Planning Commission. The only other two certified dark sky communities in the state are down near San Diego. And Nevada City is applying to join them. Part of the criteria is community outreach and lighting ordinances, things the city has been working on over the last two years. "So the ordinance that I drafted, I tried to make it just right for Nevada City, not overly restrictive but also protective," McCandless said. In the ordinance, they aren't asking constituents to change out lighting. But they are putting regulations on the type of lighting that can go in from now on, in addition to switching out any city lighting. "Brighter lights do not mean safety or security, but what it really means is that we start to not see the beautiful sky," Mayor Petersen said. "It's an illusion thinking that brighter lights that shine out are safer. In actuality, if the lights are pointed down on the ground, you can see your surroundings better," McCandless said. The city will be opting for warmer, more pointed lighting that won't shine out and up into the sky as much. Therefore, allowing you to see the stars and the Milky Way. "It's amazing. It's beautiful, especially if you go a little outside and into the woods, you can just see everything," said a nearby resident, Margot Roa. "Light pollution is bad for human health. It disrupts our sleeping rhythms and such. It's also bad for the environment and nature," Brown said. "It is easy to forget that life keeps going, and there are plenty of species that really rely on dark skies and nighttime to survive," said Aaron Zettler-Mann, executive director with the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL). SYRCL is in support of the city's application. Zettler-Mann says animals like owls and bats will benefit, due to their nocturnal hunting habits. "Their eyes are accustomed to very dark places," Zettler-Mann said. "Just like for a human, if you're driving down the street at night and someone with those incredibly bright blue headlights is coming in the other direction, you can't see as well. Street lights are kinda doing something similar with owls." Nevada City says if the application does go through, the goal for certification is March 2026.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Satellite coated in ultra-dark 'Vantablack' paint will launch into space next year to help combat major issue
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A satellite painted with one of the darkest materials ever created by humans, known as "Vantablack," will launch into space next year to help researchers try and solve a major issue that's plaguing astronomers across the globe. There are more than 14,900 satellites orbiting Earth. But experts predict that, within the next 50 years or so, the number of active spacecraft in low Earth orbit (LEO) could rise to more than 100,000. This sharp rise is thanks to private satellite "megaconstellations," such as SpaceX's Starlink network, which already accounts for more than 60% of the total number of spacecraft circling our planet. These machines are causing several problems that scientists are only just starting to properly understand, including uncontrolled reentries, radio signal interference — and light pollution. For several years, astronomers have been warning that sunlight reflecting off shiny metal satellite swarms will brighten the night sky, making it harder to study the cosmos. This issue is already impacting most optical observatories, which are getting repeatedly photobombed by satellites flying overhead. And the situation is expected to get worse due to newer spacecraft, such as China's "Thousand Sails" satellites, that far exceed the brightness limits suggested by astronomical authorities. One potential solution to this problem is to make satellites that do not reflect light. Therefore, researchers in the U.K. will soon launch a "shoebox-size" cubesat, named Jovian-1, which will have one side covered in a special "hull-darkening" material that absorbs 99.965% of light that hits it. By closely tracking the dark-coated spacecraft as it orbits our planet, the team will be able to tell if the material works as predicted — and whether it can withstand the rigors of space travel. The mini-satellite is scheduled to launch at some point in 2026. The project is being managed by the Joint Universities Programme for In-Orbit Training, Education and Research (JUPITER), a collaboration between the Universities of Surrey, Portsmouth and Southampton in the U.K.. Related: What goes up must come down: How megaconstellations like SpaceX's Starlink network pose a grave safety threat to us on Earth The hull-darkening material is a version of Vantablack, a substrate covered with vertical carbon nanotubes that absorb almost all the light waves that hit it from nearly every angle. It is often described as the blackest material on Earth, although this has been disputed by competitors in recent years. The new version, named Vantablack 310, is modified to withstand the harsh conditions of space, such as extreme fluctuations in temperature and bombardment by cosmic radiation. It was created by Surrey NanoSystems — a spinoff company from the University of Surrey that first created Vantablack in 2014. "Our latest coating technology, Vantablack 310, offers super-black performance across a wide range of viewing angles, while remaining robust to the challenging LEO environment," Kieran Clifford, a senior technologist and project lead at Surrey NanoSystems, said in a statement, adding that the goal was to ensure""sustainable and equitable access to a night sky for all." While hull-darkening could provide a potential solution to the light pollution issue, there are still several other megaconstellation issues that need to be solved. For example, even if a satellite does not give off light pollution, it would still emit radio pollution. Astronomers recently warned that this could lead to an "inflection point," beyond which ground-based radio astronomy would become effectively impossible. RELATED STORIES —World's 1st wooden satellite arrives at ISS for key orbital test —Doomed Soviet satellite from 1972 will tumble uncontrollably to Earth next week — and it could land almost anywhere —US company to use giant spinning cannon to blast hundreds of pancake-like 'microsatellites' into space The rising number of satellites also increases the chances of spacecraft colliding with one another, further contributing to the amount of space junk that is littered across LEO, which can in turn increase the chances of even more collisions. Additionally, private satellites have a short lifespan and most eventually fall back to Earth and burn up in our planet's atmosphere, releasing metal pollution into our skies that we are still trying to fully understand.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Matariki and our diminishing night sky: Light pollution makes stars harder to see
First published on By Shea Esterling and William Grant* Many New Zealanders look to the skies to celebrate Matariki, but light pollution remains a major issue. Photo: Quin Tauetau This week, Aotearoa New Zealand officially celebrates Matariki for the fourth time, marked by the reappearance in the night sky of the star cluster also known as the Pleiades. Yet, ironically, the accompanying celebrations and the legislation that declares Matariki a public holiday miss the mark. They fail to promote and protect the country's dark skies, which are crucial to seeing the stars in this small constellation. While the law recognises Matariki's significance to Māori culture and heritage as the beginning of the Māori New Year, it does not acknowledge that it is predicated on the visual presence of the star cluster. Even where Matariki is not visible owing to weather conditions, the ability to see other celestial markers is important (for example Puanga/Puaka, also known as Rigel). Light pollution is a visual barrier to experiencing these important stars. Since the passage of the legislation, local councils across the country have marked the public holiday with various light displays. This year will be no different, with illuminated artworks, projections and lightboxes at Matariki festivals in several cities. Tirama Mai (bringing the light) will return to Ōtautahi Christchurch with brightly lit displays. Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland will see some of its most popular sites, including Queen Street, lit up as part of Tūrama , a series of large-scale, illuminated art installations. In Rotorua , Whakatū Nelson and Ōtepoti Dunedin , Matariki festivities include spectacular drone light shows which will light up the night sky. After initially ignoring Māori advice that fireworks are not appropriate to celebrate Matariki, many local councils have now abandoned them . But festivities will no doubt continue to contribute to light pollution and ignore the need to protect dark skies at night. These ill-conceived festivities are not surprising given the legislation fails to even mention dark skies. This is exacerbated by New Zealand emerging as a major player in the increasingly commercialised space sector which has developed rapidly since the first rocket lifted off from Mahia peninsula in 2017. Last year's Matariki celebrations in Rotorua. Photo: LDR/ Laura Smith Much of Aotearoa's landmass has some of the darkest skies on the planet. Based on land area, 74 percent of the North Island and 93 percent of the South Island rest beneath night skies that are either pristine or degraded only near the horizon. Indeed, the area affected by direct illumination is very low. Yet, intense urbanisation means only 3 percent of the population regularly experience such skies. About half of all New Zealanders can no longer see the Milky Way in winter. Globally, the visibility of stars (an indicator of the level of light pollution) decreased by 7-10 percent per year from 2011 to 2022 . The visibility of the night sky in New Zealand appears to be following a similar trend. Between 2012 and 2021, the area affected by light pollution grew at a rate of 4.2 percent above the global average . Advertising and tourism campaigns reinforce the perception that Aotearoa has dark skies, but visible satellites could soon outnumber the stars people can see, from New Zealand and worldwide. At present, there is no explicit domestic law protecting dark skies, nor any international laws. The law declaring Matariki a public holiday missed an important opportunity to provide such protection. To address this issue, a petition was presented to parliament in January 2023 calling for national legislation to promote and protect dark skies. In March this year, parliament responded it would not take further actions "due to other priorities on the government's resource management reform work programme". This is not surprising. Nevertheless, we call on the government to develop legislation for the governance of dark skies in Aotearoa New Zealand that incorporates mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge). While there are a variety of ways this could be achieved, controlling light pollution is the crux of the issue. Light pollution emanates both from unmitigated urban lighting as well as the expansion of satellite constellations, which is steadily forming a global net of moving points of light in space. An incremental approach could be a government-backed education programme to raise awareness of light pollution, followed by the development of a national policy for its control. An amendment to the Matariki public holiday law could then follow in recognition of the national interest. We are aware the challenges ahead are many. Yet, protecting dark skies is vital from a Māori perspective. Practically, such protections are crucial to the enjoyment and honouring of Matariki as we continue to risk disconnection from one of our most important natural features. * Shea Esterling is a Senior Lecturer Above the Bar at the University of Canterbury and receives funding from the Borrin Foundation. William Grant is a Lecturer in Law at the University of Canterbury, and does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. This story was originally published on The Conversation.
