Space Exploration and the night sky

I Just wanted to highlight and discuss the possible reason why our societies and modern civilisations are no longer as interested in the sky as our great ancestors once were !

For example , look at this wonderful picture taken in south america with no light pollution




Then take a look at this




Is it any wonder that kids in modern cities these days no longer look up to the sky and are facinated by the glory of space !

It really makes me wonder , if we didnt have cities or at least less light pollution would our species , put more energy into exploring space , would our children look up into the sky at night and wonder what it would be like to travel to these stars intstead of looking across a dark city at the brightest lights there ! A football stadium , A billboard !

Would our governments put more funding into the space program if our children took up more space based studies at university instead of other programmes if there wasnt as much light pollution !

It actually makes me sad that I cant see this in the sky at night !

What do you all think ?

reply to post by sapien82


Light pollution is really bad where I live, if I look out my garden at night there's an orange glow over the nearest town.

This might be of interest to UK members

www.cpre.org.uk...

There are links to different parts of the UK showing the light pollution.

Edit: removed picture, wouldn't post "nicely".

[edit on 17/5/1010 by jokei]

I lived in North Yorkshire for a few years not too long ago and I immediately noticed the difference in the night sky. I could make out constellations, and then I moved back to Glasgow and I can barely make out anything in the sky. It's depressing to be honest.

Of course, none of that compares to the sky in Cyprus. Me and a friend (who isn't at all interested in space) sat for hours looking at the stars. I don't think people who have grown up in bustling cities with their orange and purple hued night skies can appreciate the expanse and magnitude of the starlight that reaches us this day and age. People even ask me why I bother with a telescope, as there is "nothing to see up there." There is, but as long as we have this pollution we'll never see it again. Sometimes I dream of a power cut on a clear night for a few hours just so I can sit outside with nature, uninterrupted by streetlights.

I mean look at this

no wonder we dreamt of space exploration

a reply to: sapien82

You can see that in Scotland, Loch Doon the dark sky observatory is the closest to me where there is minimum light pollution
scottishdarkskyobservatory.co.uk...

When the ancients looked above, at night, before lights obscured our view, they saw all the stars. Not so today, sadly.

They were able to identify all of the constellations, by grouping stars together, as one, specific object, or animal.

They identified a star that is directly at the north point of Earth, as well. It guided them for their voyages, etc. Much as any compass does.


They had explored all of the Earth, and mapped it, with a great barrier of ice that surrounded Earth. We didn't do this by accident, either.

The stars are the same stars as before, to this day, to all days yet to come. None have changed, or moved, ever.

It's a magical sight, indeed.