National Dark Sky Week in USA

We are creatures of light, but in recent centuries our technology has enabled us to push back the frontier of darkness, extending our work and leisure time well into the hours of twilight and darkness. We tend to forget, however, that ecosystems and wild species operate 24 hours each day, seven days each week. They have evolved to cope with, depend on and take advantage of natural darkness. A night sky without artificial light is therefore vital to the proper functioning of natural ecosystems. Artificial lighting affects species migration patterns, predator-prey relationships, and the circadian rhythms of many organisms, to name just a few of the consequences of light pollution.

The National Dark Sky Week is celebrated in the United States every week of the new moon in April. International Dark Sky Week’s origins go back to 2002, when Jennifer Barlow, a high schooler from Midlothian, Virginia, saw someone on the Internet propose that an annual night of dimmed outdoor lights could help people enjoy the night sky. Acting on the idea, Ms. Barlow’s efforts led to National Dark Sky Week, first observed in the United States in April 2003.