Sunday, 15 February 2009

• Would You Visit a Starlight Reserve?

  

  In a day and age where most people living in large cities can't remember the last time they saw a starry sky, much less the Milky Way, it is interesting to hear about the idea of a starlight reserve. In the small town of Tekapo on the South Island of New Zealand, the idea of a starlight reserve has come up not only locally, but also to the board of UNESCO.

  A starlight reserve is something that would be characterized by breathtaking views of the sky and stars with very limited interruption from light pollution. This idea has become popular to astro tourists in New Zealand, who frequent the town of Tekapo. Tekapo has a population of  830 people, and has started to make a name for itself as one of the most breathtaking places to see the constellations and the Milky Way at night. The locals here use low-energy sodium street lamps that have shields guarding the light from escaping above. They also use house lamps that are faced downwards to prevent any unnecessary light flooding into the night sky.  

  Because the locals take all of these precautions with their light usage, they have been able to create an amazing "park in the sky." UNESCO has been opening up to the idea of adding the sky to its list of heratige sites. But until then, Tekapo has taken every precaution possible to keep the sky open at night, and to institue sky-friendly lighting mechanisms in new housing developments.  

  What do you think about this idea? Would you ever go to a starlight reserve? Have you ever been somewhere like Tekapo?

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