MYTH #3: IT’S DARK IN THE COUNTRYSIDE
It
is no simple task to get away from the lights. Urban sky glow, the dome of
light hanging over all cities of any substantial size, extends for miles and
miles. For example, it easy to see the sky glow of Phoenix, Arizona, from more
than 100 miles away. The sky glow from Los Angeles, California, is visible from
an airplane 200 miles away. How many dark spots are left in the urban corridor
in the Northeastern part of the United States? Even in the most remote portions
of North America, there are dusk-to-dawn lights blaring into the darkness. The
light from even one of these causes significant light trespass a mile or more
away. I challenge anyone reading this to find a mountaintop or plateau in the
continental United States where there is no trace of light pollution visible
somewhere on the horizon.
In
any event, those who say “Just go to the countryside if you want to see starry
skies” might as well say the loss of trees and flowers in our cities is not
important either. Why have urban parks? Just go out of town to see some grass,
flowers, or trees. It shouldn't be necessary to go out of town to see these. If
we can't have enough sense to plant trees, shrubs, and flowers all around our
cities, we can at least have enough sense to plan for parks and preserve those
green areas left. Why not have the same attitude toward dark skies? We are not
asking people to turn off their lights. We are asking them to shield the
lights, use proper wattage for the task, and turn off unneeded lights.