Posted on 09/16/2017 5:48:44 PM PDT by LibWhacker
Idaho is moving forward with plans to establish the first International Dark Sky Reserve in the United States, a designation for a location so remote from light pollution that you can even see the "interstellar dust clouds" of the Milky Way in the night sky, The Associated Press reports.
Proponents of the reserve plan to file an application this fall to designate 1,400 square miles of central Idaho as part of the dark sky territory. Locals, who would voluntarily take measures to reduce light pollution, are almost unanimously behind the decision in part because they enjoy the celestial splendor as well. "I go out most every night and look at it because it's so dramatic," said Steve Botti, the city council president of Stanley, Idaho.
There are only 11 other Dark Sky Reserves in the world, with the only other in the Americas being Mont-Mégantic in Québec, Canada. The International Dark-Sky Association will take an estimated 10 weeks to decide if the central Idaho region meets its standards after the application is filed.
"It's nice to look up and see something greater than ourselves," said Ketchum, Idaho, Mayor Nina Jonas. Read the full report at the Idaho Statesman.
Thank you! It was taken from the Inyo Mountains at 8,500’ looking due west across the Owens Valley at the High Sierra, around 14,000’ in height in that area.
Not sure if imminent domain is the motive regarding this Idaho story. I’m not familiar with it.
But I can assure you, most folks who’d like to see dark skies preserved are not eco fascist pigs. They’d simply like to see lighting manufacturers produce light fixtures with light cut off shields. Very simple, design the light to direct the light downward where the light is intended, not up into the atmosphere. The results to night skies are obvious when they put up 200,000 street lights without shielding.
Think of that billboard at night along side the highway in the middle of nowhere. You can see them from 10+ miles away, even though you can’t read it until you get close to it. I’m sure you’ve seen them. They create their own mini light domes in the sky and nearly blind some drivers when they get close.
Now multiply that billboard light a thousand+ times in these big population centers. As a side note, they’re wasting tons of light, I mean ENERGY! It’s ridicules. With the right fixtures or inexpensive modifications they easily cut the power consumed/lost and still light the same area intended.
I can assure you, not everyone is an eco extremest.
voluntary ?
it’s the gubbinment
Darn, a full body mount of Jennifer Lawrence would fit right over next to the fireplace. (In a crouch with an arrow in her mouth.)
Good idea for star gazers though. Oh well, the thought tickles me a bit though. :)
That’s tame. My niece asked me about stars and physics. I told her to do a search for black holes. What a mistake!
We had a hurricane and the whole state was a blackout zone
OMG, eye bleach needed. That poor girl. Always remember Rule 43.
I’m all for it. Can’t even see most of the bright stars from the DC area. Not smog pollution. Light pollution.
There is no reason for so many lights being on at night (other than for safety and physical/building security).
I’m saving those beautiful pics to use as screen saver wall paper.
Reminds me of the proposal made by some very wealthy people who moved from CA into a rural town (totally dependent on timber, fish, and a paper mill) in WA where I lived. They wanted to have the town turn out all the lights by 10 pm so the could see the stars ... Meanwhile, just outside of town it was totally dark.
>>I bet it was quite a learning experience!
Absolutely! I was engaged for a year to the optics instructor!
It was wonderful. Chicago’s Adler Planetarium basement, where the ghost of William Herschel walked. Or so they said to scare us kids. 6” F8. For my birthday, several of the guys put the mirror into a baby blue tube that laid in a velvet mount. Some part of it was pink, I remember. Ended up in Sky and Telescope with someone else showing it off.
My first real job after graduating college was 5 months giving hallway lectures at Adler. I checked out on the Zeiss but wasn’t allowed to give lectures there as I was a woman and, in the dark, a woman’s voice wouldn’t be authoritative. Which is why women of my age became feminists. It was a political job (patronage office on 55th st; mother knew someone who knew someone) and they caught me the day after the election when I worked as a Republican election judge.
I thought North Korea already did this...
For the first time in my life this city boy (suburban boy,actually) saw a night sky that absolutely astounded me.I didn't have the faintest idea that there were nearly that many stars in the sky.
One of the things on my bucket list is visiting the Atacama Desert...where many of the biggest and most important telescopes are located.
A few years ago I had to inspect one of the LED billboards. Since it was 70 feet in the air, I got delivered by manlift. On the way up, I wondered why they didn’t turn it off. Even though these things light up for miles, two feet away, you only see pinpricks of dull light. Really weird
I used to take pheasant hunting trips to Logan, KS. The farm house we stayed in offered the clearest dark sky at night that I had ever witnessed.......
That was a magnificent, peaceful part of the country (flat as hell tho) and the total opposite of what I have to live in here in Michigan......
Re #51:
The truth is I have no idea. I did an image search for “Idaho Night Sky” and that was one of the results. But I can’t swear that it’s Idaho.
On those boards, it would be very simple and easy to direct the light onto the board, instead of everywhere else including the eyes of the drivers.
Flagstaff Arizona is also rightly proud of its dark sky efforts -
Voluntary for now.
But some people think it's a big waste of time. After all, who needs to see the stars? Who even needs to know they exist? I mean, really, what good are astronomers anyway? They ought to get a real job, like fixin' cars! Yeah! You know they just sleep all night in those big cushy observatories, doncha, while drawing their big salaries? And apart from all that sleeping, who knows what else is going on all night long up there? I bet it's something real gay, if ya catch my drift.
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