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Map Shows Depressing Number of Prime Stargazing Locations Left in the U.S.
And it's almost completely over for the East Coast.
- A new study has revealed the dwindling number of locations that provide near-perfect unobstructed views of the night sky.
- Light pollution is causing problems for astronomers and stargazers wanting to catch a clear glimpse of the stars.
- But light pollution can also affect our health and the health of other animals on the planet.
Technology has made it possible to take photos and capture footage of space we could've only dreamed of a few decades back. But astronomers and amateur stargazers are facing a major issue affecting their ability to catch some stellar cosmic views: artificial light pollution.
According to a study published in the Journal of Environmental Management, very few places remain where the cosmos are visible without light interruption. As evidenced on the map, if you want unobstructed views of the sky, you should head to the rural midwest or northern Maine.
Hawaii and Alaska, which are not shown on the map, are two of a mere handful of places to offer up pristine skies and Hawaii, in particular is fighting to keep it that way. Currently, protestors are blocking the path to Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano and the highest peak throughout the Hawaiian islands, so that construction on the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) won't proceed.
Mauna Kea is sacred in Polynesian culture and the protests opposing the TMT have even gained support from actors Jason Momoa and Dwayne Johnson. The main reason scientists chose the peak as the official home for the TMT? It offers nearly 100 percent unobstructed views of the sky.
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The biggest culprit in America is the District of Columbia, producing nearly 200,000 times more light pollution than the darkest place in the country, Yakutat, Alaska.
Science Alert reports that light pollution isn't just affecting our ability to view the stars but also our health—it throws off our circadian rhythm thanks to artificial light potentially messing with the body's melatonin production and may even lead to cancer. And it's not just humans; animals are feeling the effects of having too many lights on nearly all the time: their migratory patterns and sense of direction are being disrupted.
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