Dark Sky Park Approaching Nowhere

 It has recently become necessary to establish ‘Dark Sky Parks’  as conservation reserves, reclaiming the night sky to be visible from earth and to reduce light pollution. The increasing number of satellites and terrestrial material  crowding our atmosphere blinds us to constellations. A Dark Sky Park is publicly or privately-owned land possessing an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and a nocturnal environment that is specifically protected for its scientific, natural and cultural heritage. Reclaiming the dark, natural night skies is vital to animals, plants and humans who need a regular interval of light and dark to know when to eat, sleep, hunt, migrate and reproduce. Humans have always been ‘star gazers’, indigenous people have relied on the night sky to read the seasonal rhythms and changes, to navigate, find meaning and to guide their lives. Light pollution from terrestrial sources also interferes with astronomical observation and discoveries. Without the dance from infinite coloured bodies of the night sky we lose our ability to dream and of finding our place in the universe. Without the magic of a night sky, our imagination, creativity and the joy of the canopy of wonder will be lost to us. The natural wonder and infinite variety and weather of night skies, even darkness is illuminating and revelatory in more ways than we know.