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Nightscape Issue #81–82

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Nightscape Issue #81–82 Issue # 81/82 | 2011 • $2.50 nightscape A PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL DARK-SKY ASSOCIATION “The night sky provides a shared and common experience available for everyone. This common experience provides links between cultures throughout the world, both past, present and future.” –John Goldsmith, twaN photographer IN thIs Issue 4 aGm News 6 & 7 astronomy News 8 & 9 Chapter News 12–17 Feature article: The World at Night 18 & 19 astrophotography 20 Lighting News Babak Tafreshi Babak 21 DC update NO, IT’S NOT A UFO. BUT ITS UNEQUALED PERFORMANCE MAY BE JUST AS STARTLING. operation including guaranteed light levels, maintenance, group lamp replacements, Light-Structure Green™ reduces your sports-lighting monitoring, and remote on/off control services. operating cost by 50% or more with less energy consumption, cuts spill light by 50%, and eliminates From foundation to poletop, Light-Structure 100% of your maintenance costs for the next 25 Green makes your sports-lighting projects fast, years. We guarantee it! trouble-free, and now more affordable than ever. Call, email, or check our website today for details. Light-Structure Green includes Musco’s Constant 25™ product assurance and warranty program, which Unequaled performance . provides 25 years of carefree lighting equipment for your budget, for the environment. Contact Us Today. 800-825-6030 Photos left to right: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY; Burger Stadium, Austin, TX; Citi Field, Mets Stadium, Flushing, NY www.musco.com ©2010 Musco Sports Lighting, LLC · ADIDA10-1 e-mail: [email protected] Dear members, The mission of the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) is to preserve and protect the s many of you know, IDA was founded as a volunteer organization. Dave and Mary nighttime environment and our heritage of dark ACrawford guided the early days of the fi ght against light pollution from around skies through environmentally responsible out- their kitchen table. As new members joined, you were asked to help by volunteering a door lighting. IDA was incorporated in 1988 as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofi t organization. few hours a month to help IDA grow. Th anks to the grassroots eff orts of so many, IDA (FIN 74-2493011) grew and became like an extended family. Our early volunteers are an essential part of CHAPTERS & AFFILIATES the dark sky movement and still integral to IDA’s success. Chapters Australia, Österreich/Austria, Canada (2), However, it is diffi cult to maintain that same family feeling now that IDA has República de Chile/Chile, Česká Republika/Czech ,Israel/יְִׂשָרֵאל ,members across the globe. We need to get it back. With the economic crisis, IDA has Republic, 中国/China(4), Éire/Ireland had to cut expenses to meet our reduced budget like many other non-profi ts. At the Ελλάςα/Greece, 香港/Hong Kong, Magyarország/ very moment when we have so much to do to raise awareness, there just isn’t enough Hungary, Italia/Italy, 日本/Japan, Repubblika ta’ Malta/Malta, Slovenija/Slovenia, Schweiz/Switzerland, time or hands to do it all. Sverige/Sweden, United States (37) IDA needs your help getting back to its roots. I know that many of you lead busy affi liates België/Belgium, Canada, Deutschland/Germany, lives and don’t have much time to volunteer. We appreciate your fi nancial support more France, Nederland/Netherlands, Polska/Poland, than you know. But for those with a few hours to spare, IDA will be happy to work United Kingdom, Türkiye/Turkey, United States (8) within your schedule to effi ciently use your valuable time. We are developing a survey to BOARD OF DIRECTORS learn more about you and to improve our communication with you. We want to fi nd out president Robert Wagner what skills you would be willing to share to help IDA fulfi ll it mission. Soon we will be vice president Christian Monrad rolling out a new volunteer resource on the IDA Web site. Th e page will feature a list of secretary Paul Ericson current projects and the skill sets needed for them. We will use the data from the survey treasurer Christopher Walker to match members to projects you may enjoy and send out notices targeted to your skill members Kelly Beatty; James Benya; Nancy Clanton; Audrey Fischer; Terry McGowan; Buell Jannuzi; set. We won’t ask unless you have indicated a willingness to help. Together I hope we Martin Morgan-Taylor; Mario Motta; Debra Norvil; can accelerate this essential work and recapture the camaraderie of IDA’s early days. Friedel Pas; Jean-François Simard; Leo Smith; We will have something for everyone. Current volunteer opportunities include Reginald Wilson helping staff booths at trade shows, sending letters and articles, speaking engagements, STAFF developing web materials, and expanding the new Wiki information database. Th ere IDA Headquarters are countless small tasks that will help improve your community and increase visibility technical Director Peter Strasser of IDA’s message. membership Director Susan Ciarniello writer & editor Rowena Davis I’d like to personally thank those of you who are volunteering at the upcoming Outreach & education manager Johanna Duff ek IDA Annual Conference in April. I look forward to seeing you in Suff ern, New York! art & Design Stephanie Mar Th anks as well to Chapter leaders and individual advocates who are working so hard technical associate Matthew Root and accomplishing so much. IDA Public Policy & Governmental Aff airs Th is grassroots emphasis will also help us strengthen IDA Chapters’ local eff orts executive Director Robert Parks and expand the volunteer network. If you have a Chapter nearby, join or contact the associate Director Milton Roney Chapter leader. If there isn’t a Chapter nearby, we can help you start one. NIGHTSCAPE We must collaborate to meet the formidable challenges that face the dark sky move- address corrections [email protected] ment. We have to focus on the big picture: reducing the total lumens in the environment. advertisements & submissions [email protected] Deadlines; Issue # 83: 23 Jul. 2011; Issue # 84: 23 Oct. Th e transition to LED lighting will provide us with a once in a century opportunity to 2011; Issue #85: 23 Jan. 2012; Issue # 86: 23 Apr. 2012 reshape how we use outdoor lighting. Together we can make sure we get it right. Nightscape, a publication of the International Dark-Sky Association, is published quarterly. CONTACT address International Dark-Sky Association, 3225 N. First Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719-2103, U.S.A. Bob Parks tel +1 520 293 3198 Fax + 1 520 293 3192 Executive Director web site www.darksky.org e-mail [email protected] For more information contact On the Cover: This dual image shows the same sky from [email protected] diff erent perspectives. Both shots are taken in December with ADVERTISING RATES a similar fi eld of view. Th e left image was taken on the southern 1x rate 4x rate Australian island of Bruny off the coast of Tasmania. In this moonlit night, Orion stands on its head above the Antarctic Inside Front Cover $960 $3600 Ocean. Th e right image shows Orion above the Alborz Moun- Inside Back Cover $960 $3600 tains of Iran. Th e images also chronicle diff erences in environ- Full page $800 $3000 ment. Th e snow-covered landscape displays the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, while the southern beach half page $425 $1500 enjoys the warmth of summer. Babak Tafreshi/Dreamview.net Quarter page $250 $850 Issue #81/82/2011 3 DA partnered with the Astronomical League and Tucson Amateur Astronomy IAssociation (TAAA) to jointly host its 22nd Annual General Meeting and Conference in Tucson, Arizona. ALCon, the annual meeting of the Astronomical League, occurred 25 & 26 June 2010, followed by IDA’s program on 27 June. Lunt Solar Systems contrib- uted its support while holding its annual conference concurrently at the same meeting venue, the Hilton East Inn and Suites in Tucson. Co-hosting captured the cross-interests of astronomers and the dark sky movement. Nearly two years of planning by conference co-chairs Bob Gent (former IDA Board President) and TAAA President Keith Schlottman, combined with the eff orts of former Notable names from the world of IDA program director Kim Patten, created a memorable event that reached a broader astronomy included Dr. David Levy audience than ever before. Over 250 astronomy enthusiasts attended ALCon, and many and Dr. Roger Angel (pictured above). stayed through Sunday to hear IDA’s experts focus on the global fi ght to protect our Dr. Angel is the 2010 Kavli Prize win- view of the stars. ner and director of Steward Observa- Participants, vendors and coordinators agreed that the IDA and amateur astronomy tory Mirror Laboratory. He discussed collaboration made the 2010 conference a scorching success—so successful that on the process of using mirror technology 16 & 17 April 2011, IDA will hold the 2011 conference in conjunction with the largest and applying it to develop solar energy. gathering of astronomers in the country at the Northeast Astronomy Forum (NEAF), in Suff ern, New York, under the generous sponsorship of the Rockland Astronomy Club. Other celebrities from the nighttime world included Wally Pacholka of TWAN and Tyler Nordgren (pic- tured above). Tyler Nordgren’s book, Stars Above, Earth Below: A Guide to Astronomy in the National Parks was reviewed in Nightscape issue #80. Panel experts such as Chris Luginbuhl (U.S. Naval Observatory, left) and Chad Moore (National Parks Service, right) out- lined the challenges ahead for the night sky conservation movement. Hot topics The free exhibit of The World at Night (TWAN) included sky brightness monitoring, con- photographs in the Hilton lobby captured every- cerns about blue-rich white light, and one’s attention.
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