Michigan Celebrates the International Dark Sky Week

STATES CHRONICLE – The universe is a truly wonderful place. You don’t have to be an astronomer to be able to appreciate the beauty of a starry sky, just like you don’t have to be an astrophysicist to look at the stars and see a whole new world of wonder in the infinity that goes on out there.

But sadly, in our daily urban lives, we rarely get to look at the wonders that can be seen above our heads. Pollution and city lights are two biggest factors responsible for us not looking up to the sky so often, although an in-grown sense of cynicism has also contributed quite a lot.

But some cities and even some entire states do have your well-being in mind, as they make an extra effort to allow you to experience that sense of wonder only felt when looking at the wonders of the Milky Way and other far-away stars spilling their light for us to see. But enough romanticism.

Be ready to embrace the wonders of the universe as you can see them from down here, as Michigan celebrates the International Dark Sky Week by getting rid of light pollution at night and allowing you to go to some 20 parks throughout the state in order to look at the sky. It will be marvelous.

Started in 2003 by a Michigan University student named Jennifer Barlow, the event actually has two different purposes. One is to allow you to enjoy the night sky without any light pollution getting in the way, while the other is to raise awareness about harmful effects of the aforementioned light pollution.

According to Barlow, she sees the Universe as our view into the past and as our vision into the future. And she wants to help preserve its wonder, but also to have other people experience it as well. And while she’s at it, why not inform some people about the harm that can come from excess city lighting.

Many studies have shown the effects of artificial lighting on the human organism. Since artificial lighting is very new to us as a species, we didn’t yet have the time to adjust to it from an evolutionary point of view. So, since out bodies are accustomed to the usual cycles of light and darkness, the artificial light with which we surround ourselves causes more harm than good.

Our overall health is affected by how many artificial lights we have around us after sunset, as they disturb our natural body processes, including sleep. So if you want to sleep better at night, try to remove all LEDs and other sources of artificial light from your room for a single night and see the difference for yourself.

Image source: Pixabay