Happy New Year!
This is the time of year for resolutions that often get left behind: exercise more, lose weight ….
Here’s one that’s easy to keep: Enjoy the sky even more this year. Start out tonight by looking toward the southwest from 6 to 6:15 p.m. to see ever-brilliant Venus and below it, Mercury, very low on the horizon. Follow them every evening for the next two weeks as they get higher and closer together. It’s a good way to start 2015.
On a more global scale, 2015 is the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies (IYL2015), as the United Nations General Assembly’s 68th session proclaimed last year:
“The International Year of Light is a global initiative which will highlight to citizens of the world the importance of light and optical technologies in their lives, for their futures, and for the development of society. It is a unique opportunity to inspire, educate and connect on a global scale.”
Lighting technology and its wonders greatly improve our lives and are an essential part of modern living. However, poorly planned and implemented outdoor lighting can produce light trespass and light pollution, unnecessarily dimming our view of the skies.
Tucson has been a world leader in responsible outdoor nighttime lighting to protect nearby observatories. We all need lighting at night for safety, security and recreation. Only the proper amount of light for the occasion should be used, aimed down to the ground, not up into the sky or someone’s window. Lights should be turned off when not needed.
See the following websites for more details about nighttime lighting:
www.light2015.org/Home/About.html
International Dark-Sky Association: darksky.org
Globe at Night: www.globeatnight.org
