36 Australian Geographichopeful that this will begin to reduce
the damaging spill of light, particu-
larly with the advent of light-emitting
diodes (LEDs). A recent meeting of
lighting designers at Sydney Observa-
tory sent a clear message – to make a
city beautiful, and safe, you don’t need
to light absolutely everything.
Not surprisingly, it is observatories
that have led the crusade against light
pollution. The peak advocacy body for
good outdoor lighting – the Interna-
tional Dark Sky Association (IDA)- had its origins in the 1980s, when
astronomers at major US observato-
ries became alarmed by night-sky
degradation. Large telescopes are
major investments and need complete
freedom from light pollution. That
advocacy is alive and well in Australia,
too, where Sydney lighting consultant
Reginald Wilson represents the IDA.
But the best bit is that the IDA
is not just for astronomers – it’s for
everyone. And so, the association has
launched its International Dark Sky
Places program, which recognises the
planet’s accessible, pristine skies. A
handful have qualified worldwide. The
IDA also acknowleges communities
with “exceptional dedication to the
preservation of the night sky”.
Our national observatory is located
at Siding Spring, near Coonabarabran,
NSW. Close to the beautiful Warrum-
bungle National Park (AG 112), it is
already a dark site, protected by state
legislation, and an obvious candidate
for our first IDA-recognised place.
With support from AUSTRALIAN
GEOGRAPHIC, the observatory is
working towards that recognition.
I
T TAKES ABOUT 20 minutes –
longer if you’ve just left the
glare of fluorescent lights, but
rather less if it was only the glow of
a desk lamp. Either way, the result
is the same. Your exposure to com-
plete darkness triggers a sequence of
biochemical processes in your eyes,
rendering them a million times more
sensitive than they were in daylight.
You have become dark-adapted.
Your abilities in this condition
might surprise you. If the sky is clear,
the light from the stars alone is suffi-
cient to illuminate your path. There’s
no need for moonlight. And, on the
ground, you might even be able to see
your shadow, silhouetted by the gos-
samer band of the Milky Way. But
this remarkable response to darkness
is denied to most of us by our high-
intensity nightscape. Even when we
sleep, we’re seldom in a completely
light-free environment. So why should
we cherish a primitive faculty that has
been made largely redundant by the
dazzling lifestyle of the 21st century?
The answer is that our wellbeing
depends on it. The loss of darkness
inhibits the secretion of melatonin,
the sleep-inducing hormone, and
shift workers are well aware of the
detrimental effects of trying to sleep
at the wrong time and in the wrong
environment. But there’s a more
subtle consequence of our enforced
detachment from darkness. Before
the growth of big cities, the stars were
the evening’s entertainment. That
connection brought with it a solid
foundation for life’s trials and tribula-
tions, a tangible assurance that in the
heavens, at least, all was well. For most
of us – irrespective of our cultural
background – that bastion has gone.
Can we regain this lost Eden? I
believe we can – particularly here inAustralia. Our nation is better off
than most. Although the continent is
ringed with cities, it boasts stunning
expanses of emptiness. Often those
havens of darkness are within reach.
Moreover, there’s a growing aware-
ness that light can harm the envi-
ronment, particularly nocturnal and
migrating species. And that wasted
light has a greenhouse footprint.
The reason cities are so bright
is that they evolved largely without
rules. Until a few decades ago, if
you wanted to install a row of street
lamps, you paid little heed to where
the light went. The fact that some
radiated uselessly into the sky was
of no consequence if the street was
adequately illuminated. The same
was true of sportsgrounds, industrial
complexes and coalmines. So the glow
of light pollution grew inexorably
with development. And, thanks to
the light-transmitting properties of
the atmosphere, its insidious fingers
extended tens of kilometres beyond
city boundaries.
Although that legacy remains,
designs and regulations have
improved. Newer fittings direct the
light exactly where it’s needed, with
not a skerrick leaking upwards. I amPROFESSOR FRED WATSON, AM is
Astronomer-in-charge of the Australian Astro-
nomical Observatory in Coonabarabran. Find
out about the IDA at http://www.darksky.org.COMMENTARY
ILLUSTRATION: BEN SANDERS; PORTRAIT: FRANCES MOCNIKTaking back the night sky
Fred Watson explains why Australia needs at least
one internationally recognised Dark Sky Reserve.F R ED WAT S ON