When we were little, we often saw stars twinkling beautifully in the night sky. The stars adorn the night sky which makes us amazed because of their beauty. Now, the stars are rarely seen on night sky.
Launch ScienceAlertresearchers estimate that a child born under the night sky with 250 bintang who is seen to have seen fewer than 100 stars in the same sky by the time he turns 18. Why?
Light pollution is the cause
Astronomer Kurt Riegel has warned about light pollution which can significantly affect views of the night sky. This he said in 1973 and now the warning seems to be starting to come true.
Launch Phsyorg, over most of the Earth’s surface, the sky appears to be increasing in brightness due to light pollution, at 9.6% per year. This is what makes the stars less and less visible, unlike when the sky is dark.
As the sky gets brighter, the sparkling stars become harder to see. The dimmest star in the night sky can no longer be seen because artificial light illuminates the night. This fact was obtained from a test conducted by Citizen Scientist involving 50 thousand people to observe their view of the night sky in different hemispheres and with different levels of light pollution.
What is light pollution?
Unsplash/Callous GeeLaunch Britannica, light pollution is a form of wastage of energy that can have a negative impact and reduce the quality of the environment. Although light pollution appears to be harmless to people’s health and well-being, it remains an equally important environmental quality issue.
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Light pollution is bad for observations of the night sky, because it greatly reduces the visibility of stars and other celestial bodies. The reduced visibility of the night sky is the result of “skyglow“, upward directed light coming from poorly designed or directed lamps and security spotlights.
This wasted light is scattered and reflected by solid or liquid particles in the atmosphere and then returned to the eyes of people on earth, obliterating their view of the night sky.
Also Read: Again, Study Finds Air Pollution Increases Stroke Risk
Regulations are needed to reduce light pollution
Unsplash/Ryan HuttonAs with other pollution in general, to solve the problem of pollution, strict regulations are needed. If waste pollution has regulations that regulate everything from production, disposal, to waste treatment, then light pollution also needs something similar to combat it.
“Current lighting policies have not prevented skyglow from increasing, at least on a continental and global scale,” the researchers said. Science.org. For this reason, it is necessary to have stricter regulations or policies to reduce light pollution.
“Local regulators have to act. They have to tighten up again with bright logos and so on that stays on all night,” said David Rothery, professor at the Open University, England.
We certainly want future generations to be able to see the beautiful sparkling stars in the night sky. Hopefully the policy makers, both at the local and international levels, can be more assertive in making policies and regulations related to light pollution. Beautiful scenery bintang in the night sky is everyone’s right!
Also Read: 5 Scientific Reasons Why Stars in the Sky Are Not the Same as Planets
