News & Events
2025
Protect the
night sky
May 7 & 14, 2025
Urban Night Sky project
An International Dark Sky Week event
In collaboration with the Munibung Hill Conservation Society and the Newcastle Astronomical Society, the IES: The Lighting Society would love to invite you and your organisation to our 2-part event series showcasing Dark Sky principles and introducing our Munibung Hill Urban Night Sky Project.
Part 1 of this event series will feature guest speakers from lighting, conservation and astronomy backgrounds with a focus on the local context at Munibung Hill and our conservation goals with our Urban Night Sky Place project.
Part 2 of this event series will feature a viewing night at Macquarie Hills, an opportunity to gaze and view upon the night sky to see the wonders of the night-time environment and why conserving our dark skies is such an important and powerful movement
International Dark Sky Week
April 21-28, 2025
Why care about or pay any attention to this event?
Because it provides us with the opportunity to pause for a minute or maybe an hour, to consider how we are treating the night sky.
How we are effectively shutting out the stars that are there but have become invisible because we have been using lights inappropriately and, as a consequence, produced massive amounts of sky glow, that is blocking our ability to see what our ancestors took for granted.
Join us for a week of dark sky celebration, learning, and action!
What is International Dark Sky Week?
It’s a week long worldwide event that draws attention to light pollution, promotes simple solutions to mitigate the issue, and celebrates the irreplaceable beauty of a natural night.
International Dark Sky Week (IDSW) was started by high school student Jennifer Barlow in 2003 and is now spearheaded by DarkSky International. In explaining why she started the week, Barlow said, “I want people to be able to see the wonder of the night sky without the effects of light pollution. The universe is our view into our past and our vision into the future. I want to help preserve its wonder.”
When is International Dark Sky Week?
IDSW is an annual event occurring in April (Global Astronomy Month), during the week of the new moon when night skies are darkest, April 21-28, 2025.
How can I celebrate
International Dark Sky Week?
- Visit the official event website at darksky.org!
- Get together with friends and family and go outside at night. A lot of us don’t take the opportunity to experience the nighttime environment. Go outside, look up and look around. Lots of interesting stuff is happening during the night. Looking for some adventure? Plan a trip to the dark side.
- Help spread the word about light pollution and the importance of dark skies. This week is a great excuse to talk with friends, family, neighbours, your homeowner’s association, or government representatives about why protecting our night environment is so crucial.
- Become a citizen scientist and collect data about the night sky in your neighborhood for Globe at Night. It’s fun, easy and you’ll be helping scientists across the globe better understand the threat of light pollution to our planet.
- Stopping light pollution isn’t just about seeing the stars. There are other important things at stake, too. Use this week to take the time to learn more about the effect of artificial light at night on human health, the environment, energy waste, crime and safety and our heritage of night skies.
- Join the conversation! Use the hashtag #IDSW on social media to share how you’re celebrating International Dark Sky Week and connect with other people passionate about dark skies. Check out DarkSky on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Take the DarkSky Pledge to protect the night …
https://idsw.darksky.org/pledge
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