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Where has the starry night sky gone?

Ever wondered where the starry night sky has gone? 
Well of course, it hasn’t gone anywhere. 

WHAT HAS HAPPENED, is, the night sky has been polluted with human produced artificial light spilling into the atmosphere to such an extent, that it is no longer visible, as it had been for millenia.

 Not only is this harmful for human health,
of great importance for MHCS is the impact on nature,
especially wildlife feeding, breeding and migratory patterns.

Light pollution is now a major problem. It’s doubling every eight years. It will continue to increase, unless we take decisive action to turn down the lights. 

And so it is, that Munibung Hill Conservation Society (MHCS) has embarked on a new project with the aim of having Munibung Hill accredited as an Urban Night Sky Place (UNSP), as set out by Dark  Sky International (DSI) – the worldwide organisation acting as defenders of the night.

In November we participated in an online international conference, Under One Sky 2024, across two days. Over 900 participants from 52 countries were able to attend some incredible presentations covering Human Health, Ecology, Policy and Planning, Community Education and Outreach and tapping into Dark Sky staff expertise and experiences. You can watch the Global opening and keynote address here.  And find out who the 2024 Dark Sky Award winners were, including Ken Wishlaw, from Australia.

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Protecting the night skies for present and future generations, DarkSky International
https://darksky.org/

Palm Beach Headland becomes Australia’s first Urban Night Sky Place | DarkSky International
https://darksky.org/news/palm-beach-headland-becomes-australias-first-urban-night-sky-place/

First urban night sky place in Southern Hemisphere – University of Sydney
https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2024/08/15/first-urban-night-sky-place-in-southern-hemisphere.html

Dark skies and nature conservation – Dark Sky Parks
https://darkskyparks.org/dark-skies-and-nature-conservation/

    … From MMM Issue #47, Dec 24 – Jan 25