2023-08-23 08:30:19
It is an immemorial spectacle, the oldest of all, to which the human species may itself put an end. As reported the Guardiansastronomers and experts thus explain that, if nothing changes in our habits and our unquenchable thirst for light, the Milky Way and the stars might disappear from our sight.
Scientists question in particular the exponential use of light-emitting diodes, the famous LED lights, in this gradual fading of the Milky Way and certain stars in our overly polluted skies.
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A disturbing disappearance
The phenomenon is of course not new: the electrification of our cities and the consequent multiplication of their public lighting already made the Milky Way invisible to a third of humanity in 2016, according to the calculations of astronomers.
“The night sky is part of our environment and it would be a major deprivation for future generations not to be able to observe it, just as it would be if it were impossible for them to look at a bird’s nest”explains to the British daily Martin Rees, who has the very English title of“astronome royal”. “You don’t have to be an astronomer to be interested in the problem. I’m not an ornithologist but if the songs of birds disappeared from my garden, I would feel poorer.”
Rees and some of his British colleagues have, with the support of British elected officials as explained recently the same Guardian, recently appealed for the matter to be taken up by Her Majesty’s Government. They thus wish the appointment of a “minister of the dark skies” (“minister of dark skies” in English), the setting up of a commission to this and the imposition of measures to try to reverse the trend.
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A gradual fading of the stars
According to the calculations of Christopher Kyba, of German Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam, the sky is clearing at a rate of 10% per year, causing the fainter stars to gradually “fade”. A child who can see 250 stars today would only see 100 by the time they turn 18 – and all those who follow will have only photos to scrutinize, instead of the natural spectacle of the cosmos. .
“Two generations ago, people were regularly confronted with the twinkling vision of this cosmos – but what was then universal is now rare”explains Kyba to the Guardian. “Only the richest people, as well as the poorest, can now have access to this experience. For the others, it has more or less disappeared.”
According to scientists, a few simple measures might already have an impact “huge” : point the lights downwards and equip them with light shields, set limits on their power and favor red or orange lights rather than blue-white ones.
Elon Musk, SpaceX and the thousands of too-bright satellites in their Starlink communications constellation have already come under fire for their significant impact on astronomy, forcing the company to revise its plans. Unfortunately, even painted black, the problems remained acute, as explained in 2020 by our colleagues from curry.
lose the north
Finding a solution to these problems is not just a cultural issue, it is also ecological: as the Guardian reminds us, many species, especially birds and turtles, need to see the stars for their movements and migrations.
Even the human body suffers from this omnipresence of blue-white LEDs. “We lack red and infrared light, which can have serious implications”explains Robert Fosbury of the University of London. “When a rather red light shines on our body, it stimulates mechanisms like those that attack high blood sugar levels or boost melatonin production.” According to him, the introduction of fluorescent neon and then LED lighting is one of the causes of the current epidemics of diabetes and obesity. In short, stars aren’t just for decoration.
On the same topic :
⋙ Thanks to James Webb, a never-before-seen image of the Lyra Nebula shows a dying star
⋙ Astronomers discover “shooting stars” in the solar corona
⋙ Scientists detect the fastest “runaway star” ever observed
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