National Dark-Sky Week
| National Dark-Sky Week (NDSW) | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Astronomy-related events and competitions |
| Frequency | Week of the new moon in April |
| Location(s) | Worldwide |
| Inaugurated | 2003 |
| Founder | Jennifer Barlow |
| Most recent | 2015 |
| Website | |
| http://www.darksky.org | |
National Dark-Sky Week (NDSW), held during the week of the new moon in April, is a week during which people worldwide turn out their lights in order to observe the beauty of the night sky without light pollution. This event was founded in 2003 by high school student Jennifer Barlow of Midlothian, Virginia and its popularity and participation increases every year. It has been endorsed by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), the American Astronomical Society (AAS), the Astronomical League, and Sky & Telescope (S&T).
The goals of the event are to:
This event always occurs in April, during the week of the new moon so that the sky can be as dark as possible for optimum viewing conditions.
Jennifer Barlow states, "The night sky is a gift of such tremendous beauty that should not be hidden under a blanket of wasted light. It should be visible so that future generations do not lose touch with the wonder of our universe." Barlow explains, "It is my wish that people see the night sky in all of its glory, without excess light in the sky as our ancestors saw it hundreds of years ago."
Willing participants in this project turn off all unnecessary lighting indoors and outdoors sources in order to reduce light pollution of the night sky.
The International Dark-sky Association encourages light users to take precautions against outdoor light pollution by:
Light pollution is a broad term used to define excess artificial light that brightens the night sky. Types of light pollution which include:
Light pollution is the adverse effects of artificial light.
Affected parties of light pollution include:
Astronomers:
By increasing the number of participants, the quality of viewing the sky and stars will be temporarily improved. This is a benefit to astronomers that are faced with light pollution issues such as light trespass and skyglow.
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