Night Sky Conservation

Urban Night Sky Project

The rationale: Night sky conservation

Credit: Melbourne University

IN THE GREATER scheme of things it wasn’t that long ago that many of us could look up to the night sky and see the  Milky Way in all its glory. But not any more.

Within a generation, there has been a dramatic turn for the worse, with artificial light flooding the night sky to a level unprecedented in human history.

 

The result has come at a huge cost to human health and waste of light and energy across every continent.  In spite of our location, Australia is not immune to this phenomenon. 

Light pollution is growing at an exponential rate and requires a concerted effort by all of us to stem the tide – to close the flood gates – so as to realise the benefits that can flow from best practice design and our combined actions.

This is at the heart of what we are aiming to achieve as we enter into the exciting world of night sky conservation. 

From those first fire-side gatherings perhaps 1.5 mya to the invention of candles used by the ancient Egyptians, to the introduction of electric street lighting in 1879, we’ve come a long way.

While the intentions are to benefit humanity, the consequences of the cumulative effects of so many lights on such a huge scale, with no limiting protocols in place, means we are now confronted with the runaway effects of what harm artificial light can cause. (see The Issues page).

Done supposedly with the best of intentions, but using the most inappropriate fixtures for in many cases questionable purposes, this is one problem that comes with solutions that are readily available at minimal cost. (see The Solutions page).

The challenge is to redirect these ‘best of’ intentions in such a way that the legacy we leave will clearly indicate that we were paying attention, listening to the messages from concerned scientists and people of goodwill.

That we will not shy away from, or delude ourselves into thinking this has nothing to do with us, but come to terms with what needs to be done, to turn the tide, to stem the flood of artificial light spilling into the night sky, and bring the stars back into visibility – able to be seen in all their wondrous glory, as they have been for centuries past.

Are we up for the challenge?  Are we able to see past any immediate obstacles, and embrace the opportunities? This is a low hanging fruit issue, with solutions waiting to be picked.

Starry starry sky – we’ve got you in our sights.

Urban Night Sky Place making is what we're about.

Palm Beach in the Northern Beaches LGA (Sydney, NSW) became the first UNSP certified site in Australia. Credit: Dark Sky International

HAVING A PLACE to visit where we can experience best practice lighting principles is a worthy goal to aim for. One of those legacy /cathedral projects that will stand as a testament to the vision of people who embraced a longer view. One in keeping with the heritage of Munibung Hill as a veteran landscape – literally and figuratively. To be good ancestors to our children’s children.

The rationale, the brief, the benefits, the ways to get there, are more than aspirational.

The inclusiveness / the realisation that there is no separation between nature and human nature – the very thought of breaking the bond leaves us stranded in the flood waters of a night awash with light.

It goes without saying that this is the work of a species that has kind of lost its way. The hubris of a species consumed with its own agenda that has turned against itself.

 Once we know what’s at stake we can make the necessary moves to heal our relationship with the night sky and the nocturnal creatures that depend on us, since we have lost sight of understanding that we depend on them for so much.

As noted by Leah Kaminsky and Meg Keneally in Animals Make Us Human, they were here first and we are an extension of their intelligence and understanding. Without them our lives would be devoid of meaning and purpose. Add plants to the picture and we see who is dependent on who. Further to Kaminsky and Keneally, Carl Sagan reminds us of our evolutionary connection with the stars and the cosmos. 

Reacquainting ourselves with the night sky can only bring us closer to each other and hopefully rekindle some of the stories of old – to be retold and made new again. Storylines from indigenous heritage, the first astronomers.

From global to local, Munibung Hill (Kona-konaba) has what it takes

Sombero Galaxy M104, at Munibung Hill Credit: Eddie Bernard
Credit above and below at Dungog: Eddie Bernard
[This is an extract from the Pre-application to Dark Sky International, seeking designation for Munibung Hill as an Urban Night Sky Place.]

The site goes under the name Munibung Hill (Kona-konaba is the First Nations name). She is surrounded by residential suburbs that border the site.   Total population: 18,830.

The site location when described using the global to local framework, reads as follows: Country: Australia, State: New South Wales, Region: Hunter (lower), Local government: Lake Macquarie City – west of Newcastle, Suburbs: Macquarie Hills to the north, Warners Bay / Lakelands to the east, Speers Point to the south, Boolaroo to the west.

Munibung Hill is geologically a veteran landscape being 251 million years, with an indigenous First Nations cultural history of 65,000 years. Lake Macquarie – the physical water body – by comparison is 6-12,000 years old.

Significant species – both flora and fauna, some critically endangered, others threatened – living at Munibung Hill are the subject of our conservation efforts and will benefit hugely from the Urban Night Sky Place project with spin-off benefits across the adjoining residential areas, and in so many other areas of our society.

Munibung Hill has been, and remains, a public ‘park’ in the eyes of thousands of people, and has done so for over 100 years.  Access to the site leaves a lot of room for improvement.  A Management Plan for Munibung Hill has been prepared that will guide the future use of the site.  An associated Concept Plan will guide the practical implementation of this.

There is no visible light dome located at Munibung Hill.

Munibung Hill is a diverse landscape with an undulating topography, steep slopes and creek catchments. The vegetation includes endangered ecological communities of plants and can best be summed up by visiting the flora gallery on the Munibung Hill website. https://www.munibunghill.com/plants-gallery/   

The nighttime experience is much better than the surrounding suburbs, but the aim of this project is to make improvements to this, such that the current situation as noted by Eddie Bernard, a local resident and a working group member, can be reversed to a base line more in tune with his experiences 20 or more years ago.

A sky quality meter (SQM) reading that measures the luminance of the night sky is included elsewhere in this website. The light pollution map readings – source World Atlas 2015. It indicates an SQM of 20.20 on top of Munibung Hill and is similar as you move around the Hill, though to a lesser extent towards to upper crest.

Following the principles set out by Dark Sky International, we believe this project has the potential to greatly improve the night sky experience for the local community, with flow-on benefits for every sector regardless of their proximity to Munibung Hill.

Outside of the US and Canada, as at February 2025, there are only three other Urban Night Sky Places in the world. One of them is Palm Beach (see above).  We can imagine Munibung Hill being on that list.

Become Urban Night Sky savvy

Become an advocate for our Urban Night Sky Place* project in Lake Macquarie.

Your support will help contribute to a better quality night sky experience that we can share and ‘look-up-to’, knowing that our collective efforts will have benefits extending beyond our immediate horizon – literally and figuratively.

If any of these things ring a bell with you, then consider yourself a protector of the night sky values we are advocating for:

  • Stargazing and love of the night sky
  • The impacts on wildlife, pollinators and sea-life
  • Human health impacts including sleep disruption, correlated cancers and neurological disorders
  • Energy waste adding to global heating
  • Because light pollution in the forms of sky glow, glare and light trespass is easy to address and resolve
  • Cultural and heritage connections to the night

Some things we might like to consider doing as part of the solution …

  • Advocating for best practice lighting in our local area
  • Spreading the word by weaving information into our everyday conversations and through local social media we are a part of
  • Educating children and young people about the need to protect the night sky
  • Sharing our new-found knowledge and being part of citizen education – check out this background brochure: Light to protect the night … click here
  • Reaching out to colleagues, family and friends
  • Getting support for better outdoor lighting
  • Partnering with other organisations
  • Measuring night sky brightness here with the Globe At Night app.   

Globe at Night is an international citizen-science campaign to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by inviting citizen-scientists to measure & submit their night sky brightness observations.

*fill in the form (at right) if you would like to find-out-more. To be a part of the personal and community solution to night light pollution.

To find out more about this project ...

An Urban Night Sky Place (UNSP) is a designation given to areas within urban environments, by Dark Sky International (DSI), near or surrounded by large urban environs, and whose planning and design actively promote an authentic nighttime experience in the midst of significant artificial light.

These places are worthy of recognition for their efforts to educate the public on the benefits of proper outdoor lighting that ensures public safety while minimising potential harm to the natural nighttime environment. They have implemented effective strategies to mitigate light pollution and preserve views of the night sky.

Despite the challenges posed by artificial light sources in these densely populated areas, communities are encouraged to strive towards creating spaces where residents and visitors – especially families – can still experience the wonder, the spectacle, of the stars above.

Urban Night Sky Places located around the world serve as models for responsible outdoor lighting and environmental management. They are shining examples of how communities can protect landscapes while at the same time demonstate how the need for outdoor illumination does not have to come at the expense of quality night sky ‘darkness’ – they are  not  mutually exclusive. As a result, night sky preservation can be achieved.

More information and resources at Dark Sky International … darksky.org