The Dark Sky Movement: Engaging College Campuses to Protect the Night

The Duke Cosmology Group and the Duke Rethinking Diplomacy Program's Space Diplomacy Lab invite faculty and students for a conversation about what colleges and universities can do to help mitigate light pollution from human activities on Earth and promote dark sky policies for outer space.

Our guest speaker is Professor James Lowenthal, the Massachusetts Chapter Leader for DarkSky International, chair of the Light Pollution Sub-Committee of the American Astronomical Society Committee for the Protection of Astronomy and the Space Environment, and President of the International Astronomical Union's Commission on Site Protection.

Natural darkness at night is essential for human health, natural ecosystems, our ability to study the cosmos, and our deep cultural connection to the starry sky. The international dark sky movement aims to protect darkness at night by stopping and then reversing the advance of ground-based light pollution through effective policy and legislation at local, regional, and national levels; public education; and promotion of responsible outdoor lighting.

On a global diplomatic level, the movement is working to address the growing threat of large satellite constellations that are crowding low-Earth orbit with tens of thousands of moving "stars", increasing the risk of massive clouds of orbital debris, polluting the atmosphere during launch and reentry, and even raining down spent rocket parts onto farms and houses.

College and university campuses are in a good position to engage on both ground-based and space-based light pollution. Addressing these issues requires the collaboration of experts in the many fields that touch on light pollution, from ecological conservation and human health to public policy, urban planning, energy and climate change, aeronautics, and astronomy. For more information on the impact of light pollution, visit DarkSky International's website.

With energetic young students eager to make a difference in the world, colleges and universities have a real chance to have a measurable impact. They are large enough to build a coalition of experts who can have an impact on a global level, and small enough to effect real, measurable change on a local level.

The Campus SHINE program provides resources to help college and university campuses improve their own nighttime environment.