海角大神

At 5 a.m., it鈥檚 too dark to see the fields of volcanic rock and sagebrush that stretch for miles on either side of the highway. But over the beams of my headlights, I get a taste of the view I鈥檓 really here for, as a few stars pierce the inky black sky.

Today, our relationship to the cosmos is largely mediated by technology, through telescopes and NASA missions. But for millennia, humans could simply look up on a clear night to marvel at the bright speckles that stretched directly over them. Pondering space was a visceral experience.

But over time, we鈥檝e distanced ourselves from our stellar context, building a veil of artificial light between ourselves and the dark depths of space. Our streetlights, neon signs, and other electric lights are increasingly flooding the night sky and overpowering the stars. As a result, about a third of the world鈥檚 population cannot see the Milky Way from where they live. And some people can鈥檛 even recognize it. In 1994, when an earthquake knocked out power across Los Angeles in the night, some residents were reportedly so alarmed by the 聽overhead that they called 911. 聽

Still, some people say that a natural connection to the cosmos is worth maintaining. And that means embracing the darkness, and fighting to preserve it.

鈥淭he sense of wonder for the night sky is disappearing,鈥� says Steve Pauley, who has earned the nickname 鈥淒r. Dark鈥� for his work on preventing light pollution in Idaho. And that means something vital to humanity is being lost, he says. 鈥淲hat are we without wonder?鈥�

That鈥檚 why I鈥檝e dragged myself out of bed hours before sunrise. Like , I live with light pollution, and I鈥檝e never seen a truly naked night sky. So I鈥檓 searching for my first glimpse.

With vast public lands and a smattering of small towns, it gets pretty dark at night in central Idaho 鈥� arguably one of the darkest places in the country. Just last year, in the wake of local efforts to minimize light pollution, the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) certified 聽there as the first International Dark-Sky Reserve in the United States.

Efforts to preserve the darkness in the region began about 20 years ago, when Dr. Pauley, a retired medical doctor and resident of Ketchum, Idaho, noticed the sky overhead was getting brighter at night. 鈥淚 thought, 鈥楾his is not good,鈥� 鈥� he recalls.

After researching light pollution, writing a newspaper column, and giving public talks on the topic, Pauley began to catch the attention of city officials. Together, they instituted 鈥渄ark sky ordinances,鈥� requiring and encouraging residents to eliminate excess lighting in their yards and businesses and to shield light so it illuminates only the intended area. The town has also been certified as a dark sky community by the IDA.

SOURCE:

NASA Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite

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Jacob Turcotte/Staff

Value in darkness

About 60 miles north of Ketchum, another Idahoan became enamored with the night sky.

鈥淚t seemed to me like one of the real amenities of living in a place like this,鈥� says Steve Botti, mayor of Stanley, Idaho. So when he learned about the IDA鈥檚 efforts to designate dark sky reserves, he realized the region was a perfect candidate.

Mr. Botti collaborated with officials in Ketchum, the city of Sun Valley, Blaine County, the Idaho Conservation League, and the US Forest Service to submit an application to the IDA for reserve status. In December 2017, the IDA approved the application and awarded the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve with Gold Tier status, the highest ranking for night sky quality.

It makes sense that rural Idaho can get so dark, as light pollution is inherently tied to urban living. But that doesn鈥檛 mean we should treat cities as completely lost causes, says , an astronomer and lecturer at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

鈥淭here鈥檚 going to be a lingering place in the [city] center where you鈥檙e never going to see [the Milky Way],鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut I think more in terms of how far you have to travel outside the city to see the Milky Way. If you could bring it down from an hour to 20 minutes鈥� drive, that would be awesome. Many more people would see the Milky Way then.鈥�

Professor Turnshek 聽to reduce light pollution in Pittsburgh. There, and in other cities, like ., dark sky activists have convinced officials to switch out traditional incandescent bulbs in streetlights for ones with less glare, like yellow-hued LED bulbs.

Untangling humanity completely from light pollution isn鈥檛 really the goal, says John Barentine, director of public policy at the IDA. Artificial light often goes hand in hand with human technological advancement and can provide benefits to society, such as in the form of greenhouses or safety at night. But there may be a happy medium, says Dr. Barentine, such as motion-sensor lights or dimmable bulbs.

Proponents of darkness say it鈥檚 worth finding a way to reduce artificial light where we can. Recent studies have found many ways that light pollution damages animals鈥� natural rhythms, from 听迟辞听, and influences human health.

鈥淏ut I think we should [reduce light pollution] for its own sake and for how it can improve our overall feeling about ourselves and our world,鈥� Barentine says. 鈥淭he night sky is something that inspires people. It has for thousands of years.鈥�

鈥楴ever Stop Looking Up鈥�

My own quest for a glimpse of true darkness reveals a disconnect between myself and the circadian rhythms of Earth. By the time I reach a deserted parking lot in Ketchum, the sky has already begun to brighten, and twilight blots out most of the Milky Way. Having never known the true meaning of , I had made a crucial miscalculation. Speaking only to the frosted grasses and mountains around me, I vow aloud to try again as soon as possible.

Two days later, the sky is clear enough for another try.

As I step out of the car, I nervously raise my face up toward the sky. Jackpot! There it is, stretching across the sky as far as I can see. The Milky Way is so vibrant, my eyes don鈥檛 even have to adjust to the dark to see it.

I expected to feel a depth to the sky, perhaps as though I was falling into a bottomless pit. Instead, the blanket of stars above me is so thick it is hard to fathom that what lies before me are billions of entire solar systems. In black and white, the whole scene feels surreal.

As I get back in the car, I mentally plan to return, to spend a night beneath these stars so I can marinate in the vastness of the cosmos and my small place within it.

As if my thoughts had been heard, back on the highway I pass a sign that says 鈥淣ever Stop Looking Up.鈥�