Slashdot Mirror
One Fifth of World's Population Can't See Milky Way At Night
An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from Cosmos Magazine: "Light pollution has caused one-fifth of the world's population — mostly in Europe, Britain and the US — to lose their ability to see the Milky Way in the night sky.
'The arc of the Milky Way seen from a truly dark location is part of our planet's natural heritage,' said Connie Walker, and astronomer from the US National Optical Astronomy Observatory in Tucson, Arizona.
Yet 'more than one fifth of the world population, two thirds of the US population and one half of the European Union population have already lost naked eye visibility of the Milky Way.'"
...Living far away from civilized centers, like in the center of African forests and deserts or on top of mountains and other places which have not yet been reached by the black asphalt snakes of progress.
How happy they are to have the Milky Way as their roof and the sound of crickets as their entertainment.
I am certain that they would never trade such freedom and comfort for those ghastly artificially illuminated roads, constant hum of the civilization and such trivialities as proximity to health-care and formal education.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
This is horrible news! People can't see the stars at night! We need to demand that government stop these evil power companies from providing electricity after the sun goes down. And we need to arrest anyone driving around at night with headlights on or anyone using flashlights or candles. And all these tall buildings that block our view of the night sky need to be torn down immediately! It is our constitutional right to be able to see the stars at night. When I sit outside of my cave in the freezing cold I can barely see a single star at all. All these modern conveniences. Who needs 'em!?! It's time we gave up all these new fangled gadgets and went back to the old ways.
In a world of violence, famine, plagues, tryanny, bigotry, hate... I really wish "scientist" could find practical things to bitch about like millions starving, etc. Seriously of all the things to whine about... light pollution.
Oh crap Johnny can't see the milky way, we need to do something about that! Of course Johnny can't go outside at night because of gangs and his dad can't afford to buy him shoes but those problems are small in comparison to ... light pollution?
Listen, there are always trade offs in life. I for one have no issue with the view because I am too busy working to walk around with my eyes staring at the sky. Some of us have jobs. When we get home we do dishes, laundry, clean, and ... if we are lucky get an hour to catch the news and a TV show. That's the trade off living near cities.
Yeah light pollution is a problem like Brittney Spears getting a Grammy. How about feeding people, reducing traffic etc... There are plenty of real issues to worry about...
Better yet "scientist" when you are done bitching about light pollution why don't you do something about that 'other' kind of pollution that acutally harms people.
Jesus Christ People Get Your Priorities Straight!? Has the Ivory Tower crowd finally jumped the shark these days? LIGHT POLLUTION?! Damn must be a slow news day...
If you want to go see the Milk Way, DRIVE AWAY FROM THE CITIES!? I know those urbanites think there is no universe outside of the shadow of a sky scraper but you can get in this thing called a vechicle (if your aching green earth worrshipping moral code allows you to sit in one) and drive yourself about 40 minutes outside your crime infested rotting from the inside steel wasteland and look up and see it. They also have these HUGE collections of trees called FORESTS you might get to see... /RANT
-=[ Who Is John Galt? ]=-