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rfmcdonaldI have seen some bright stars here, and I have seen dimmer stars and astronomical objects like the Pleiades during Earth Hour, but I've grown used in my seven years living in Toronto to washed-out skies. The Channel Island of Sark, according to the Guardian's Ian Sample, has
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I have seen some bright stars here, and I have seen dimmer stars and astronomical objects <a href="http://rfmcdpei.livejournal.com/1466252.html">like the Pleiades</a> during Earth Hour, but I've grown used in my seven years living in Toronto to washed-out skies. The Channel Island of Sark, according to the <i>Guardian</i>'s Ian Sample, has <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jan/31/sark-first-dark-sky-island?CMP=NECNETTXT1349" decided="decided" to="to" market="market" its="its" perfect="perfect" night="night" skies</a="skies</a">.
<blockquote>The Isle of Sark draws its fair share of visitors in the warm months of summer. The rock is a haven for rare wildlife, a landscape where pretty hedgerows and quaint villages are bordered by a breathtaking, craggy coastline. There is plenty to do. The events calendar is full with wildflower walks, scarecrow competitions and sheep races that last a weekend.
[T]he inhabitants of Sark, the smallest of the four main Channel Islands, celebrate a unique addition to their list of attractions, one they hope will bring more visitors in the cold, dark winter season. Lying 80 miles off the south coast of England, Sark has been declared the first "dark sky island" in the world.
[. . .]
The announcement, by the International Dark Sky Association (IDA), a US-based organisation devoted to preserving the darkest and most beautiful night skies on Earth, follows more than a year of work with the island's 600-strong community to ensure as little light as possible spills upwards into the sky, where it can blot out starlight.
"You get spectacular views from lots of places in the UK, but there are few very special sites that are world class in terms of how dark they are," said Steve Owens, an astronomer who led Sark's application to the IDA.
"If you go to a place like Sark, the Milky Way is a regular feature of the night sky. It always fills me with a sense of wonder. Each of those dots is a sun and there are 100 billion of them. It makes me appreciate how special Earth is. We've not found anywhere else in the cosmos that is a perfect haven for life."
To earn the title of dark sky island, officials on Sark measured night time illumination levels and submitted digital photographs that showed the clarity of constellations in the night sky. As part of a lighting audit, Owens visited every outside light on the isle, which covers 5.5 sq km (2 sq miles), and made recommendations to reduce the amount of light escaping from them into the sky.
The Isle of Sark was already a dark place at night. There are no public streetlights and few, if any, buildings are floodlit. The favoured night time accessory for locals is a head torch. All cars are banned from the island. The only motor vehicles allowed on Sark are tractors, which tow trailers of supplies from the harbours and, in emergencies, pull the island's fire engine and ambulances, which have had their engines removed to make them lighter.</blockquote>
Go, read. It's suitable reading, actually, given the spectacular astronomical news of today.
<blockquote>The Isle of Sark draws its fair share of visitors in the warm months of summer. The rock is a haven for rare wildlife, a landscape where pretty hedgerows and quaint villages are bordered by a breathtaking, craggy coastline. There is plenty to do. The events calendar is full with wildflower walks, scarecrow competitions and sheep races that last a weekend.
[T]he inhabitants of Sark, the smallest of the four main Channel Islands, celebrate a unique addition to their list of attractions, one they hope will bring more visitors in the cold, dark winter season. Lying 80 miles off the south coast of England, Sark has been declared the first "dark sky island" in the world.
[. . .]
The announcement, by the International Dark Sky Association (IDA), a US-based organisation devoted to preserving the darkest and most beautiful night skies on Earth, follows more than a year of work with the island's 600-strong community to ensure as little light as possible spills upwards into the sky, where it can blot out starlight.
"You get spectacular views from lots of places in the UK, but there are few very special sites that are world class in terms of how dark they are," said Steve Owens, an astronomer who led Sark's application to the IDA.
"If you go to a place like Sark, the Milky Way is a regular feature of the night sky. It always fills me with a sense of wonder. Each of those dots is a sun and there are 100 billion of them. It makes me appreciate how special Earth is. We've not found anywhere else in the cosmos that is a perfect haven for life."
To earn the title of dark sky island, officials on Sark measured night time illumination levels and submitted digital photographs that showed the clarity of constellations in the night sky. As part of a lighting audit, Owens visited every outside light on the isle, which covers 5.5 sq km (2 sq miles), and made recommendations to reduce the amount of light escaping from them into the sky.
The Isle of Sark was already a dark place at night. There are no public streetlights and few, if any, buildings are floodlit. The favoured night time accessory for locals is a head torch. All cars are banned from the island. The only motor vehicles allowed on Sark are tractors, which tow trailers of supplies from the harbours and, in emergencies, pull the island's fire engine and ambulances, which have had their engines removed to make them lighter.</blockquote>
Go, read. It's suitable reading, actually, given the spectacular astronomical news of today.
