Saving the Starry Night

Light Pollution and Its Effects on Science, Culture, and Nature

De: Patrizia Caraveo

Narrado por: Christine Williams

Duración: 4 h y 23 m

Resumen del Editor

This book takes a close look at our relationship with the sky, the stars, light, and darkness. In particular, it examines how light pollution has interfered with the culture of astronomy and our ability to appreciate this essential facet of our natural world.

The sky has always held significance for humanity, in both cultural and scientific terms. And yet we persistently pollute it with sometimes unnecessary light in our obsessive desire to chase away the darkness. This effectively switches off the stars, hampering our ability to enjoy one of the most inspiring sights nature has to offer to humankind. In addition, too much light is hazardous to both our health and that of the fauna and flora of this planet.

Saving the Starry Night also features a comprehensive look at the current controversy regarding efforts to expand internet access through the launch into low Earth orbits of thousands of new satellites, which will pollute the night with moving lights while filling to saturation the capability of the circumterrestrial space. This conflict does not mean that the interests of astronomy and those of space technology have to be at odds, and potential compromises are explored between the satellite initiative and the desire to maintain a dark, radio-silent sky.

©2021 "Italian language edition: “Il cielo è di tutti”, by Patrizia Caraveo © Edizioni Dedalo 2020. © 2021 by Patrizia Caraveo, under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG (P)2022 Blackstone Publishing