Dark Sky Parks Research Articles

MONITORING OF LIGHT POLLUTION IN THE TRANSCARPATHIAN REGION

Light pollution first gained attention when people realized they could no longer see the night sky as they once did due to excess visible and ultraviolet light from cities. However, in recent years, it has become clear that artificial night lighting worries not only astronomers. Studies have shown that artificial night lighting harms a variety of animals. To preserve the natural darkness of the sky in the world, parks of the dark (or starry) sky are created, which are the areas of a unique natural environment that protect the natural night darkness from pollution by artificial light. They are the equivalent of nature reserves — territories with exceptional natural value. They perform protective functions for the darkest corners of our planet, where the night environment is not dis- turbed by artificial light. These parks perform not only ecological but also educational functions. Darkness protection is slowly being incorporated into existing conservation areas such as national parks. Darkness is a natural resource that needs protection. In 2016, Transcarpathian Dark Sky Park was created. For its registration and entry into the International Association of Dark Sky Parks, the brightness of the night sky was measured in different places in this park to determine the state of light pollution in this area. The results of the measurements fully satisfied the requirements for dark sky parks. In all places of the Transcarpath- ian Dark Sky Park where we performed measurements, the average value of the background of the night sky was ~21.50 mag/ arcsec 2 . In 2021, an application for registration of Transcarpathian Dark Sky Park in the International Association of Dark Sky Parks was accepted. Research into the state of light pollution on the outskirts of the Dark Sky Park is also ongoing, namely at two optical observation stations — Uzhhorod and Derenivka. The results of changes in the background of the night sky in these places over a 40-year time interval are presented.

Investigating potential Dark Sky Parks in Balkans

Investigating potential Dark Sky Parks in Balkans

Alternative Forms of Tourism: A Comparative Study of Website Effectiveness in Promoting UNESCO Global Geoparks and International Dark Sky Parks

In the digital age, effective website promotion plays a pivotal role in attracting visitors to alternative forms of tourism. This study examines the websites of 177 UNESCO Global Geoparks and 190 International Dark Sky Parks, employing specific evaluation criteria essential for enhancing the promotion of alternative tourism forms such as geotourism and astronomical tourism. Our findings reveal that geopark websites adeptly promote geotourism through a diverse array of digital tools, with the potential for minor enhancements. In contrast, the majority of dark sky park websites exhibit limited visibility in the promotion of astronomical tourism. These identified criteria and results serve as crucial benchmarks for optimizing the websites of UNESCO Global Geoparks and International Dark Sky Parks, thus ensuring the comprehensive fulfillment of established promotional standards for alternative tourism destinations.

Your journey to Prada Marfa, McDonald Observatory and Santa Elena Canyon: Probes for a hot planet, dark skies and cool gaze

This article takes readers on a brief journey through the remote regions of far west Texas, site of the Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve, the largest dark sky reserve in the world. Spanning 15,000 square miles, the reserve is home to The University of Texas at Austin McDonald Observatory and Big Bend National Park, along with many other natural areas and art installations. This article uses Prada Marfa, McDonald Observatory and Santa Elena Canyon as probes for a hot planet under dark skies, while also deploying a cool gaze into the Milky Way. In so doing, cool media takes on a profound new meaning for our shared destiny on a tiny planet, getting ever hotter as it hurtles through the vast universe.

The first dark sky map of Chiang Rai : three decades of change affecting Astro-tourism

We present the first Chiang Rai dark sky map, measurements of the calibrated zenith artificial night sky brightness at sea level, which covers data since 1992–2021. The Data were collected from two US satellites including the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program with the Operational Line Scan System (DMSP-OLS) and the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership with the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (NPP-VIIRS). Images containing ratios of artificial light to natural light were originally excluded from sunlight, solar glare, moon light, lunar illuminance, lightning features from the aurora, clouds, fires and background noise. Based on the correlation between data from the overlapped year 2013, the result showed the great matching relationship between DMSP-OLS and NPP-VIIRS data (R2 = 0.92) which revealed the mathematical model was feasible and reliable. The number of dark sky areas over Chiang Rai in the past 3 decades was classified in 8 classes based on the sky brightness in Bortle scale colour code and in magnitude : 1. Excellent dark sky sites (>21.9 mag, black), 2. Dark sky (21.9-21.5 mag, grey), 3. Rural sky (21.5-21.3 mag, blue), 4. Suburban/Rural transition sky (21.3-20.1 mag, green), 5. Suburban sky (20.1-19.1 mag, yellow), 6. Bright suburban sky (19.1-19.5 mag, orange), 7. City/suburban transition sky (19.5-18.0 mag, red)and 8. City sky (<18.0 mag, white). It was found that 14% of area in Chiang Rai are covering by the bright sky with Bortle class 7 and 8. Within this only 14% of area dwell more than 33% of population that have now already lost naked eye visibility of the Milky Way. In addition, a risk assessment model for dark sky conservation revealed that dark sky area are dramatically becoming extinction. It was suggested that Chiang Rai will not have an area suitable for stargazing by 2040 if there is no designated area for conservation. Our map could ultimately encourage land owners of such dark sky sites to register their properties in the IAU dark sky reserve database to elevate Astro-tourism in Chiang Rai.

Dark Sky Parks: public policy that turns off the lights

Dark skies are culturally, ecologically, and economically valuable natural resources but little has been written on how dark sky conservation is being enacted through environmental policy and legislation. Using the Multiple Streams Framework and qualitative data from over 300 policy documents, we characterize the problems, policy solutions, and politics around protecting night sky resources. We find that the core public policy problem of diminishing night skies is perceived by stakeholders to be light pollution produced from surrounding urban development. To address this problem, decision-makers enact policy solutions of creating Dark Sky Parks on protected landscapes with rigorous and scientific processes. These technical ideas for creating Dark Sky Parks are transmitted to decision-makers at park and landscape scales. Dark sky conservation is a political process as well, which attracts bipartisan support from policy-makers from different political parties due to the economic potential of astrotourism. Our work has general applications for the role of managers and NGOs in creating science policy, engaging the public, and enacting policy change, as was seen in the context of the International Dark Sky Association providing resources, technical information, and support for managers and other stakeholders to encourage actions at various scales to protect rapidly-disappearing dark skies.

Many Nights

This essay builds on environmental humanistic scholarship about the night in a study of arts associated with the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, a lighting-regulated locale in Aotearoa / New Zealand, that is part of an international network of places intended to protect the night sky. Chris Murphy’s time lapse, South Celestial Pole from Mt John (2016), shot in Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, hastens time and utilizes a star tracker so that the city and lake of Takapō turn sideways against stars. The film connects relative darkness and highly visible celestial phenomena to startling perceptual change. The film is less evocative of how darkness and other nocturnal processes are interwoven with colonial histories and interconnected socio-environmental injustices. Robert Sullivan, a poet whose ancestral lands include the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, is attentive to such concerns in the collection Star Waka (1999). Sullivan uses karakia (chants, incantation) to frame how stars and darkness nurture Māori practices like navigation but also to evoke precariousness woven into the night, from colonial astronomy to socially uneven policing and lighting. This essay, then, argues for critical caution regarding arts and narratives that only emphasize night’s wondrous qualities and its endangerment. Rather than framing night simply as a good phase to be protected, we might participate in night by addressing both the injustices and the varied dreams and struggles that it bears.

Aenos International Dark-Sky Park: The first officially designated area protected from light pollution in Greece

The scope of this work is to analyse the methodology used for the official designation of the first International Dark-Sky Park in Greece which was Aenos National Park, designated in May 2023. The methodology was based on the official International Dark-Sky Park requirements of the International Dark-Sky Association with many differentiations due to specific technical challenges and administrative circumstances in Greece. The process included both technical works, light measurements, lighting retrofit as well as administrative, social and publicity activities. From beginning to completion, the designation process lasted more than three years and required hundreds of manhours to be completed. The official designation of Aenos International Dark-Sky Park provides an important opportunity for the protection of the skies of Greece from light pollution both as a case study and inspiration as well as a solid example used to push for the dark sky protection agenda which is part of a sustainable

Light Attraction in Carabid Beetles: Comparison Among Animals From the Inner City and a Dark Sky Reserve

Artificial light at night (ALAN) is altering the behaviour of nocturnal animals in a manifold of ways. Nocturnal invertebrates are particularly affected, due to their fatal attraction to ALAN. This selective pressure has the potential to reduce the strength of the flight-to-light response in insects, as shown recently in a moth species. Here we investigated light attraction of ground beetles (Coleoptera:Carabidae). We compared among animals (three genera) from a highly light polluted (HLP) grassland in the centre of Berlin and animals collected at a low-polluted area in a Dark Sky Reserve (DSR), captured using odour bait. In an arena setting tested at night time, HLP beetles (n= 75 across all genera) showed a reduced attraction towards ALAN. Tested during daytime, HLP beetles were less active in an open field test (measured as latency to start moving), compared to DSR (n= 143). However, we did not observe a reduced attraction towards ALAN within the species most common at both sides,Calathus fuscipes(HLP = 37, DSR = 118 individuals) indicating that not all species may be equally affected by ALAN. Reduced attraction to ALAN in urban beetles may either be a result of phenotypic selection in each generation removing HLP individuals that are attracted to light, or an indication for ongoing evolutionary differentiation among city and rural populations in their light response. Reduced attraction to light sources may directly enhance survival and reproductive success of urban individuals. However, decrease in mobility may negatively influence dispersal, reproduction and foraging success, highlighting the selective pressure that light pollution may have on fitness, by shaping and modifying the behaviour of insects.

STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT OF ASTROTURISM IN THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA – COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

The paper investigates the issue of strategic development of a new selective form of tourism that is growing in many countries around the world named astrotourism. The issue of light pollution is also considered, given that a clear starry sky is a fundamental prerequisite for the development of this selective form of tourism. The aim of this paper is to investigate the level of development of astrotourism in the Republic of Croatia. For this purpose, a comparative analysis was performed targeting selected astrotourist destinations - the so-called Dark-Sky Parks in Croatia and Europe, as well as a research focusing on the geographical distribution and number of certified sky parks in the world. Certified Dark-Sky Parks are typical astrotourism destinations that meet all the prerequisites for its development, and are awarded the official certificate issued by the IDA - International Dark-Sky Association, as the world's umbrella institution dealing with light pollution. Observatories have a special role in the development of astrotourism, so the proposed paper presents an overview of observatories in Croatia that are focused on this type of activities. The paper aims to sensitize the scientific and professional public regarding the issue of light pollution, but also to encourage further research and expert discussions relating to this topic. Astrotourism combines different components and functions – a scientific and a recreational one, but also a very important ecological and educational function, encouraging special discussions and proposals focusing on solutions for the sensitive but still insufficiently researched area of light pollution, inadequate public illumination, as well as other “unhealthy” forms of illumination.

Planning an International Dark-Sky Place in Aenos National Park, the first steps

This work describes the preparatory steps for the planning of a light pollution protected area in the form of an International Dark-Sky Park in Aenos National Park at the island of Kefalonia that refer to lighting and light pollution. In more detail, we identified and measured luminance, illuminance and spectrum of public lighting at the island of Kefalonia in areas that are adjacent to the National Park and may influence its operation as a Dark Sky Park. This procedure also includes identifying the luminaire types and light sources, judging their suitability, identifying malpractices and proposing changes. In general, many malpractices were identified both in old lighting installations as well as recent LED retrofits or new installations with more common ones being rich sources in blue light and use of non-cut off luminaires. Light pollution measurements were performed that prove that Aenos National Park has dark enough skies to meet requirements.

Point spread functions for mapping artificial night sky luminance over large territories

ABSTRACT Knowledge of the night sky radiance over a large region may be valuable information for identifying sites suitable for astronomical observations or for assessing the impact of artificial light at night on ecosystems. Measuring the sky radiance can be a complex endeavour, depending on the desired temporal and spatial resolution. Likewise, the modelling of artificial night sky radiance for multiple points of a region can represent a significant amount of computing time depending on the complexity of the model used. The use of the convolution of a point spread function with the geographical distribution of light sources has been suggested in order to model the sky radiance over large territories of hundreds of kilometres in size. We determined how the point spread function is sensitive to the main driving parameters of the artificial night sky radiance, such as the wavelength, the ground reflectance, the obstacle properties, the upward light output ratio, and the aerosol optical depth using the Illumina v2 model. The obtained functions were then used to model the artificial night sky brightness of the Mont-Mégantic International Dark Sky Reserve for winter and summer conditions. The results were compared with the New World Atlas of artificial night sky brightness, the Illumina v2 model, and in situ Sky Quality Camera measurements. We found that the New World Atlas overestimates the artificial sky brightness by 55 per cent, whereas the Illumina model underestimates it by 48 per cent. This may be due to varying atmospheric conditions and the fact that the model accounts only for public light sources.

The temporal analysis of light pollution in Turkey using VIIRS data

Artificial Light pollution (AL) in Turkey and in Turkish observatories between 2012--2020 have been studied using the archival data of Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument. The astroGIS database has been used in processing the data (https://www.astrogis.org) \cite{2020MNRAS.493.1204A}. The total energy released to space from Turkey increased by 80\% in 2019 with respect to 2012. In the span of the dataset, a steady and continuous increase has been observed throughout all cities of the country. On the other hand, Dark Sky Park locations, East and Southeast Anatolian regions and mostly rural areas around the cities kept their AL level constant. Four demographic parameters have been studied and they were found to be correlated very well with AL: Population ($R \simeq 0.90$); GDP ($R \simeq 0.87$); Total Power Consumption ($R \simeq 0.66$) and Outdoor Lightening ($R \simeq 0.67$). Contrary to countries acting to prevent AL increases, Turkey seems to be at the beginning of an era where AL will arithmetically increase throughout the country and enormous amount of energy will continuously escape to space and therefore will be wasted. Therefore, a preventive legislation, especially for invaluable astronomical site locations such as TURAG, TUG, DAG and \c{C}AAM where each is counted as a truly dark site due to their SQM values, has to be enacted in Turkey, in very near future.

Landscape Potential and Light Pollution as Key Factors for Astrotourism Development: A Case Study of a Slovak Upland Region

Astrotourism is considered to be a modern form of ecotourism. The main resource for astrotourism is a high-quality night sky, but this is very sensitive to natural as well as anthropogenic factors; for example, land utilization and expansion of urban areas often cause the negative effect of light pollution. The aim of the study is to perform a lighting survey by night sky brightness (NSB) measurements using the sky quality meter (SQM-L) at 20 study sites of the Slovenské stredohorie Upland region (Slovakia) and to assess the region’s potential for astrotourism development (PAD) using a multicriteria analysis. The NSB values ranged from 19.90 (city Žiar nad Hronom at Žiarska kotlina Basin) to 21.54 mag/arcsec2 (recreation area Poľana at Poľana Mountains). At 14 out of 20 study sites, the NSB values even reached 21.2 mag/arcsec2, as recommended by the International Dark-Sky Association for dark-sky parks. Four study sites were categorized as sites with medium PAD, and sixteen with low PAD. No study site reached a high or very high PAD. The best conditions for astrotourism development are fulfilled mainly by the Poľana Mountains geographical unit. The findings can be used for sustainable astrotourism development, land management, and planning to ensure socioeconomic development, together with nature and dark-sky conservation.

A case study of light pollution in France

France issued a decree to restrict and prohibit mainly outdoor lighting effective from January 1st, 2019. Effectiveness of this legislation has been evaluated in this study using GIS data which was first used in \cite{2020MNRAS.493.1204A} (so called astroGIS database - \url{astrogis.org}). A subset of Artificial Light layer of astroGIS database has been adapted for years between January 2012 and December 2019. During 2019, radiance of $1.9 \times 10^{9}$ W cm$^{-2}$ sr$^{-1}$ has been released into space. Annual light pollution in France decreased by 6\% after the enactment of artificial light legislation. France continue to have potential Dark Sky Park locations for example cities like Indre, Lot, Nievre and Creuse having the lowest light pollution values. A strong correlation between population and light pollution ($R\simeq 0.83$) has been observed. A similar but a weak correlation can also be observed for GDP ($R\simeq 0.28$). However, it is still too early to justify whether the improvements observed in the dataset are due to the enactment of the legislation or not.

Living Environmental Laboratory for Lighting: Reduction of Light Pollution at Hungarian Settlements

The International Dark Sky Association has a flight of rules for public lighting in dark sky parks. In Hungary, many settlements still illuminate with compact fluorescent lights and sodium lamps, that do not fulfill these rules. In our research project, financed by a grant of the European Union, we established a system of Living Environmental Laboratory for Lighting at two settlements in dark sky parks in Hungary. As the first step, the public lighting system was reconstructed, so that it satisfied the rules of IDA. We designed new LED luminaires with optimal illumination and optical properties to provide the necessary luminous intensity and reduce light pollution at the same time. The new system has a two-step illumination profile: (i) Early night, after sunset, when the traffic is still high, warm white LEDs are applied to ensure sufficient lighting coming to the roads and pavements with a wide beam of light. (ii) Late night, when the traffic is low, the illumination switches to amber LEDs that have a narrower light beam to minimize light pollution and provide sufficient visibility. This approach can be an optimal illumination construction to reduce the light pollution of public lighting at night.

A fényszennyezés műszaki jellemzőire és élettani hatásaira vonatkozó, lakossági ismeretek felmérése két településen

One of the newest environmental challenges in our industrialized world is light pollution. It means that we emit more light than necessary, and this is often done at wavelengths that are both disturbing and even harmful to human health. The Dark Sky Parks, where over a large area there are no artificial light sources that burden the environment. One of these parks is located in BAZ County, near Repashuta, and is under continuous development. Our study reports on a questionnaire survey conducted in Repashuta, which is informed about light pollution, and in Cserepvaralja settlements close to it, but without direct knowledge of the problem. The population of both villages is around 400. With a direct on-site survey, we asked 21-21 questions to 30-30 person and received answers in all cases, of course, taking full account of the anonymity of the respondents. Recruitment took place in March and April 2019.

Identifying, Examining, and Planning Areas Protected from Light Pollution. The Case Study of Planning the First National Dark Sky Park in Greece

Light pollution is a type of pollution that climaxes in cities and occurs increasingly away from them, due to the increase of artificial lighting and inappropriate lighting design (selection of luminaires, aiming, illuminance/luminance levels, and spectral characteristics). Increasingly, light pollution also affects the countryside due to local lighting but also distant lighting propagating from urban areas. This has a significant impact on ecosystems and astronomical observing sites. This work analyzes the main facts about light pollution (causes, impact, and solutions) and studies the methods, parameters, and special requirements for planning of light pollution protected areas. This dark sky park planning methodology is implemented as a case study in mount Parnon which has been selected due to its significance as a Natura 2000 protected area and because it is Greece’s most popular astronomical observing site. Mount Parnon is located close to two major cities as well as significant highways, however the site itself remains dark due to its sparse population. Planning a dark sky park involves a complete study of facts regarding the specific site. Existing lighting installations are surveyed in detail by recording types of luminaires and lamps and recording their positions in a map. Lighting illuminance levels are measured by photometers and spectra are analyzed using a spectrometer. Sky brightness levels measurements are performed using specialized photometers and light pollution origins are traced using wide-field photography. Finally, a proposal is made for a dark sky park scheme suited to the specific case of the site.

Seeing the Night Sky

Abstract. Clear, dark night skies are harder to see now than ever before, and it will only become more difficult as people continue to move into heavily light polluted and expanding urban areas. Dark Sky Parks offer a place where anyone can go to experience true dark skies, observing the stars and other celestial bodies in conditions unencumbered by artificial light and other sources of pollution. An atlas of these Dark Sky Parks will raise awareness about their existence and locations with the goal of education and outreach. Observatories may be utilized with a similar outcome; however, they need to be located in close proximity to large populations but far enough away to optimize dark skies. This research presents an approach for mapping Dark Sky Parks in the United States through the ongoing production of Seeing the Night Sky: An Atlas of Dark Sky Parks, and a related GIS location optimization model to identify potential observatory locations in a defined study area based on land availability, slope, presence of water/floodplain, proximity to populated places, light pollution, elevation, and transportation infrastructure.

Scenic Sites Selection in Dark-Sky Park Based on NPP/VIIRS: A Case Study in Fujian Province

Dark Night Park is a kind of public protection area with better starry sky viewing conditions. In this paper, taking Fujian Province as an example, some fit indexes are selected based RS and GIS technology to get better scenic sites. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) the spatial distribution of the factors affecting the location of the Dark-Sky Park is obvious. Nighttime light radiation value is significantly higher in the southeastern Fujian than other areas, and the trend gradually decreases from the center of the city. Historical sunny rate is increasing from south to north, and the inland city is relatively high; (2) First-class area which most suitable for Dark-Sky Park construction accounts for 1.22% of the province’s total area. Unsuitable area to that accounted for 27.86% of the total area of the province; (3)The places with high value (first-class) of Dark-Sky Composite Fit Index in Fujian are concentrated in the northern and western region, and Wuyi Mountain, Jianyang, Shaowu in Nanping City, Huian in Quanzhou City are the best places to build Dark-Sky Park.