Astronomy & LP 4 Kids!

Children should be seen and not heard? Over 800 young environmental activists from 110 countries (Monday 17-Aug-2009) began a meeting described as the biggest-ever youth gathering on climate change. But no-one will listen until the crises occur on home turf - we really will be JTL. This "hot" news from the Outdoor Lighting Forum (the OLF) of the USA.  Tiffany Zambrano and Alexis Guerrero report on YouTube (from Alexis's house) on LP, light pollution, and EH, Earth Hour   8.30pm thru 9.30pm,  local time, 28 March, 2009, last year. Clear skies. NOW THE WWF RELEASE THE LATEST VIDEO FOR WORLD EARTH HOUR 27 MARCH 2010 8.30-9.30 PM.  Please join in.  Science News For Kids, 2007 - Light Night, "Dark" Stars?  Just found this but it is still relevant today? An idea for energy saving and switching OFF unnecessary lights.  Kids, astronomy, LP/LAN, Homer Glen, Chicago. The magic of the night. Click LISTEN NOW  What about this from a web log (a blog)?

"Hey I’m only 14 and I was just look this up for my science fair project and it’s amazing how many young people don’t know that light is hurting everything around them and themselves. If they knew this stuff they would probably get more involved, so I’ll tell all my friends what I’ve learned!  Maybe you should try to get it as a lesson in school for us kids!!!" Let's hope teachers are willing to learn from the kids? The section on the environment and wildlife has a review of a book, the Ecological Consequences of Artificial Night Lighting, which can only be recommended but it is a bit "heavy" reading 4 kids!  For those aged about 5 to 15 there are 2 excellent books well worth considering. 

One is just fun, well illustrated and thought provoking, whereas the other is more technical and educational.

The first is called "There Once Was A Sky Full of Stars" by Bob Crelin and illustrated by Amie Ziner. It is available from AMAZON for £8.48. It nearly made me cry and I think that I am "hard"! It reminded me of what we adults used to take for granted and which modern city kids have lost. You can read on the Net of kids telling their teachers that stars are TV "special effects", that the lights in the sky are not real, that as time goes by the stars get fainter. All the stories are out there. If you care about the night sky then buy this book for your kids or your kids' kids. A portion of the proceeds goes to the IDA. You can learn more about the IDA at www.darksky.org

The second book is called "The Kids Book of the Night Sky" written with "love" by Ann Love(!) and Jane Drake. It is illustrated by Heather Collins. Also available from AMAZON. It is an official book about sky watching. On page 50 we see that we need to take Sirius more seriously! See adjacent image - copyright the book authors. This joke was used by Dr. John Mason at the CfDS  http://www.britastro.org/dark-skies/whatislp.html?1O meeting in Portsmouth, September 2006. More importantly we need to take light pollution and its effects more seriously! As the book states on page 9, the dark is an endangered space! The book does not dwell on light pollution and gets on with ideas and descriptions of what can be seen in the night sky.

The family with kids and these books for the children, with Mum and Dad having in their library the Rich and Longcore book, will know what the future holds for the planet. With these books in every home our world will be a better place. I just hope that my optimism is not misplaced! Perhaps 10 years old (2006) student Anzy McWha fuels my optimism for the future? (BTW Ms. McWha is still active in Fallbrook- neat huh?). Read here at http://www.thevillagenews.com/story.asp?story_ID=7626 her school report about the effects of light pollution! It helped to prevent a roof sign light being imposed on Fallbrook/Bonsall Community! Neat huh? By the way did you guys know that Lisa Simpson was on our side against light pollution? Like Anzy McWha in Fallbrook she tried to do something about it in Springfield. In her case she started an anti-light pollution petition! Have a look here -  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/'Scuse_Me_While_I_Miss_the_Sky YouTube has a video of the Lisa Simpson Astronomer cartoon HERE.  Dr. Paul Marchant (16-9-2007) has informed me that Lisa is subject to FOX copyright litigation and, rather like the California Connected link problem last month, Lisa may not work. Try California Connected from the Will this be the USA 2025? page. If it works then enjoy. If anyone find other links fail for any reason then please get back. Lisa Simpson would like the web site about how her grandparents "saw different stars" to those that she sees today? Go to this humorous and informative web site about LP and how it stops kids from seeing the stars. There are even a few experiments you can try HERE. 

DON'T Turn Me On and Then Just Leave MEEE.....!

This photo has been copied here from the Wasted Light/Wasted Energy page. If you already do not leave electronic systems on standby then try now turning off lights that are no longer needed. Especially those that are outside. Help reduce light pollution if the light is outside and save energy, reduce CO2 emissions, global warming and climate change if it is anywhere at all! Do YOUR bit and help planet Earth. If people fail now it is the future that will suffer. A colour pdf of this picture is available HERE. Turn OFF lights if you don't need them! Just plain common sense? 

(Wembley turned OFF its non-essential lights 7-7-2007. You do the same).  Oldies will not be around in the distant future but you lot might be? Especially if things happen faster than expected. You know it makes sense....... or do you? Why not ask friends if they care about planet Earth? We would be a bit lost without it! 

 

A Rather Sad Theatrical Story?

"If you could stand upon a faraway star and look down at planet Earth on a cloudless evening, you might just notice a glowing pool of light…and, chances are that glow would be New York City. If you could leap from your star and fly down, down, down into the heart of that great metropolis, you would land in the most twinkling, sparkling place of all - Time Square." This piece of text is from the new book by Julie Andrews and her daughter, Emma. The book is titled "The Great American Mousical". The "glowing pool of light" is light pollution and is in the first paragraph of the first chapter. The magical imagery, designed for kids, leaves the impression that these "pools" are somehow wonderful. They are in truth dismal proof, if proof were needed, that we are wasting the future of this planet's children The book goes on with a narrative which will leave kids more than happy but by making "pools of light" (light pollution) acceptable it leaves these same kids believing light pollution to be wholly acceptable. Whilst chapter 4 is titled "Lights Dim" the light on Earth will not dim, light pollution will continue and the mortgaging of the future of Earth's kids will simply continue if thoughtlessness like this continues. Their narrative would have been better written if they had thought more. Perhaps they have never heard of light pollution? For me it is very sad because as Mary Poppins, Dame Julie was wonderful. Perhaps someone from IDA should fill her in with the facts? Someone should at least tell Dame Julie and Emma the truth? 

Can You Believe This From Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam?

If you can find the time to look at this Vietnamese web site you will find some echoes of the thoughts to be found on these web pages. Small world isn't it? Try here http://www.vnagency.com.vn/Home/EN/tabid/119/itemid/180992/Default.aspx If this does not work because it times out then try this URL - http://vst.vista.gov.vn/home/item_view?objectPath=home/database/an_pham_dien_tu/MagazineName.2004-06-03.1509/2007/2007_00001/MArticle.2007-04-03.0728 If any of them fail then try this archive copy here - http://www.lightpollution.org.uk/dwnLoads/LP_Ho_Chi_Minh_City_Quay_v%E1%BB%81_trang_t%C3%ACm_ki%E1%BA%BFm.docx

The last paragraph here might make Western scientists wake up if they read this web site? This is what is said "In the long term, light pollution will possibly have dangerous effects on ecological diversity." What does this suggest to you? Are the Vietnamese "brighter" than we are? Perhaps they have not yet read Colin Henshaw's letter to the JBAA in May 1994? Or the article in the LA Times from 14 September 1897 - YES 1897!