Christopher Kyba 🇨🇦🇪🇺Mar 2

15 years ago, I co-authored my first paper in the field of #LightPollution studies: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0017307

Up to that point, work on artificial brightening of the sky had been done almost entirely by astronomers, who (for obvious reasons) weren't really interested in cloudy nights. But because I was involved closely with ecologists from the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries @LeibnizIGB, we realized that it's also important to measure the extent to which overcast and clear nights differ.

Through a bunch of twists and turns I now work on #RemoteSensing using nighttime light, but that was the paper that launched me into this direction.

Show threadChristopher Kyba 🇨🇦🇪🇺Mar 2

Most people in brightly lit countries probably take for granted that clouds are bright at night, but this is completely unnatural. You can see it better in this pair of photos we published in a later paper (titled "Red is the new black"): https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21559.x

This probably matters a great deal for nocturnal animals, because it's a reversal of an environmental condition that existed during the hundreds of millions of years that life evolved.

Show threadJames Endres HowellMar 2

@skyglowberlin I teach large university science courses. Hundreds of fairly privileged students in the room. It has been my habit to ask them to raise their hands if they have ever seen the Milky Way.

The results have always been disappointing. Over the past 20 years it has gotten worse and worse. Recently many students don't even know what I mean by the question, and I have to explain what a dark sky looks like.

"Raise your hand if you have ever been awed by a clear dark sky full of countless, countless stars." Always less than 5%.

Show threadadamrice
@jameshowell @skyglowberlin I grew up in Chicago. In college, I took a class on the history of astronomy (great class), and I was puzzled how all those naked-eye astronomers could make their observations. Then I went on a road trip through the western states with a roommate, and at some point around 3 AM in the middle of New Mexico, he pulled over and said “get out.” I got out. He said “look up.” I looked up. And I got it.
Mar 4 at 1:17pmWeb
Show threadRoy van GrunsvenMar 4
@adamrice @jameshowell @skyglowberlin I also have fond memories of nights with numerous stars and a clear Milky Way. Living in the Netherlands, that is something special for me. But for all humans until a few generations ago this was absolutely normal. You might not see it every night (clouds/moon) but very often. That's a staggering loss. Can you imagine that in a few generations 95% of all people will have never seen a forest? This seems similar but hardly anyone realises that.
Show threadFrederik ElwertMar 5

@royvangrunsven @skyglowberlin I grew up in a rural area of northern Germany. When I came home late at night, and I walked the few steps to our house from the barn where we parked the car, I always looked up in the sky and the view of the stars never ceased to amaze me.

I am still trying to find an opportunity to show my own kid something like that.

Show threadChristopher Kyba 🇨🇦🇪🇺Mar 5
@felwert @royvangrunsven Sternenpark Eifel and Rhön aren't soooo far away 🙂
Show threadRoy van GrunsvenMar 5
@skyglowberlin @felwert True but a star filled sky has become a travel destination in stead of an everyday thing like @felwert describes.