In dark skies, celestial objects will appear closer and more beautiful.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — The National Observatory Management Agency (BPON) of Kupang, the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (Lapan) invites the public to maintain dark skies. This will make it easier to observe celestial objects become clearer and more beautiful.
“To see celestial objects beautifully and feel closer, light pollution should be reduced,” said National Observatory Management Coordinator Bambang Suhandi in a Speech and Virtual Night Observation. Dark sky in commemoration of National Space Day in Jakarta, Friday (6/8) night.
He said seeing the dark sky can be done without light pollution. It is rare in urban life due to light pollution from lighting.
To maintain dark skies, it can be done by reducing light pollution, by turning off outdoor lights that are potential sources of light pollution. “So not all lights are turned off, just outside lights, outside lights that point to the sky which have the potential to be a source of light pollution and it’s time for us to enjoy the sky together, either directly with our eyes or with a telescope,” said Bambang.
In dark skies, celestial objects will appear closer and more beautiful. The public has been invited to preserve the dark sky by turning off the lights for one hour, at 20.00-21.00 local time on August 6, 2021. With virtual observations of the dark sky, it is hoped that it can foster public interest and care in maintaining the night sky or dark sky.
“The sky is not clear, so people cannot enjoy the beauty of the moon and stars which are the jewels of the sky,” said Bambang.
Head of the East Nusa Tenggara Provincial Tourism Office Zet Sony Libing said the construction of a national observatory on Mount Kimau, Kupang Regency will be the first tourist destination in Indonesia for night sky tourism because its location is free from light and air pollution. “This national observatory is certainly very much in line with and supports one of the development missions of the East Nusa Tenggara region, which is to build East Nusa Tenggara as one of the gateways to the national tourism development center,” he said.
Primus Lake, a lecturer at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Nusa Cendana University, Kupang, said that for the Timorese, celestial objects are useful as signifiers for humans, including those related to seasons, agriculture, disasters, and disease. For example, he said, seven stars are a sign of the right time to harvest corn and ma’lafu stars are a sign of rain/drought, the month of using an umbrella or the moon in a puddle associated with rain, turtles lay eggs, and rain/storm.
He said that in order to read the signs of the heavenly bodies, the sky must be clear. With a clear sky, the celestial objects can be seen clearly. Clear skies are obtained when not blocked by light pollution.
source: Between
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