Astronomy began inspiring Zach Thomas six years ago, when he got his first telescope. This year, when it came time for the 14-year-old to do his science fair project as a student at Snowcrest Junior High, he naturally looked to the stars for inspiration.
He knew our view of celestial bodies from Earth was under threat because of human-made lights. He learned as much through his involvement with Ogden Valley Starry Nights and the Ogden Astronomical Society. But he wanted to fully grasp how much influence artificial illumination had on the night, even the light coming from his own yard.
Zach focused his telescope on his two favorite planets, Saturn and Jupiter, and on the Orion Nebula. He looked at them first with a garage light and a streetlight turned on. Then he looked at them after the lights were out. The results, he explained, were astonishing.
“You could see Jupiter and Saturn, but they looked like round balls of light, they didn’t really look like anything,” he said. “But without the light pollution, you could see lots of detail … on Jupiter, the bands and the big red storm, then on Saturn you can see the rings pretty well.”
Zach lives in Ogden Valley near North Fork Park, which received a Bronze-tier Dark Sky Park designation by the International Dark Sky Association last month. The efforts to protect that section of the night sky means he’ll likely have a dark pocket to enjoy his astronomical curiosity for years to come. But it has also opened his eyes on the significance of the light pollution intrusion.
Stargazing has inspired humanity for eons, but a loss of nighttime dark doesn’t only mean the loss of a scenic and stirring experience. It also signifies a bigger environmental problem.
It's not just an environmental issue, it's also a profoundly important issue for the health and well being of any number of species out there. To read more and view the video, click here.