July 1, 2019

Scientists Change Light Bulbs At Truman State To Darken The Night Skies

When students and faculty at Truman State University come back for the fall semester, they might notice more stars in the sky.

After four years of research on how artificial light brightens the night sky, scientists are planning to change lighting on campus to direct light away from the sky. That could limit light pollution, which prevents people from seeing stars and galaxies, and also can disrupt sleep patterns.

NASA satellite imagery also has shown that light pollution around the world has increased over time, and scientists predict that it could get worse in the future. There are nebulae and other objects in the sky that aren’t easy to observe anymore, said Vayujeet Gokhale, a physics professor at Truman State.

“In really dark skies, you can see the Andromeda Galaxy with your naked eye, and I doubt in any of the cities or even small towns now you can see that at all,” Gokhale said.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/scientists-change-light-bulbs-truman-state-darken-night-skies

July 1, 2019

Scientists Change Light Bulbs At Truman State To Darken The Night Skies

When students and faculty at Truman State University come back for the fall semester, they might notice more stars in the sky.

After four years of research on how artificial light brightens the night sky, scientists are planning to change lighting on campus to direct light away from the sky. That could limit light pollution, which prevents people from seeing stars and galaxies, and also can disrupt sleep patterns.

NASA satellite imagery also has shown that light pollution around the world has increased over time, and scientists predict that it could get worse in the future. There are nebulae and other objects in the sky that aren’t easy to observe anymore, said Vayujeet Gokhale, a physics professor at Truman State.

“In really dark skies, you can see the Andromeda Galaxy with your naked eye, and I doubt in any of the cities or even small towns now you can see that at all,” Gokhale said.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/scientists-change-light-bulbs-truman-state-darken-night-skies