International
Dark Sky Week 2021
Discover the Night
April 5–12
It may seem harmless, but light pollution has far-reaching consequences that are harmful to all living things. Effective outdoor lighting reduces light pollution, leading to a better quality of life for all. The dark sky movement is working to bring better lighting to communities around the world so that all life can thrive.
Join us this International Dark Sky Week to learn more about the movement, and discover the night where you live.
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Presented by International Dark-Sky Association
What is Light Pollution?
Any artificial light that is not needed is a pollutant that has serious and harmful consequences.
Light pollution can:
- disrupt wildlife
- impact human health
- waste money and energy
- contribute to climate change
- block our view of the universe
Light pollution is increasing at 2x rate of population growth and 83% of the global population lives under a light-polluted sky.
Places & People
Protecting the night around the world
Explore the map below to learn more about the global dark sky movement. It provides a small snapshot of some of the wonderful International Dark Sky Places and extraordinary IDA Advocates working to protect the night worldwide.
About Us
IDA protects the night from light pollution
Artificial light at night has revolutionized the way we live and work outdoors, but it has come at a price. When used indiscriminately, outdoor lighting can disrupt wildlife, impact human health, waste money, and energy, contribute to climate change, and block our view of the universe.
The International Dark-Sky Association promotes win-win solutions that allow people to appreciate dark, star-filled skies while enjoying the benefits of responsible outdoor lighting.
Our Vision
The night sky, filled with stars, is celebrated and protected around the world as a shared heritage benefiting all living things.
Thank you to our brand partners for year-round support
Leading & Guiding partners
Sustaining & Ally partners
Outreach partners
Events
All around the world
Your Dark Sky Photos
Tag your Instagram posts with either #IDSW2021, #DarkSkyWeek, or #DiscoverTheNight.
“The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.” —Eden Phillpotts
Taking advantage of the clear skies and low humidity recently. Here is the Milky Way rising over the red shack on Grass Island last night. Jupiter and Saturn are also visible just about the shack’s roof.
For this shot, I used a Samyang 14mm lens to capture the shack and the breadth of the Milky Way arch. As anyone who has used an ultra wide angle lens knows, it adds a significant amount of distortion to the image. Closer objects are distorted much more than distant objects. This image require quite a bit of post processing to get the shack and the Milky Way looking correct, as each was distorted differently by the lens.
#localconnecticut #ctviews #visitct #raw_newengland #bestofthenutmegstate #bestofconnecticut #onlyinconnecticut #naturephotography #newenglandcharm #ignewengland #newenglandphotography #naturalconnecticut #connecticut_igers #naturalnewengland #scenesofct #raw_seasons #newenglandstyle #newenglandwithlove #milkywayphotography #milkywaychasers #connecticutphotographer #nightphotography #longexposure #discoverthenight
Geranei galattici. 🌺🌠
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#geranei #geraneifioriti #geraneirossi #dolomiti #geranio #geraneo #mountains #pelargoni #fischleintal #fiorispaziali #longexposition #valfiscalina #valfiscalinalovers #valfiscalinaalta #cielostellato #longexpositionphoto #passionealtoadige #flower #flowers #flowerstagram #flowersphotography #nightphotography #nightphoto #balconedigerani #crodadeitoni #crodadeitonidolomiti #stars #discovertheworld #discoverthenight #mattiavalsecchiphotography
Schönheit der Nacht
Dieses Foto entstand letztes Monat im Rahmen meiner Forschungsarbeit zum Thema Lichtverschmutzung. Es stand dabei tatsächlich mal nicht das Fotografieren der Schönheit des Nachthimmels im Vordergrund. Darum auch kein entsprechend geplantes Setting, kein spezifisch ausgerichtetes Equipment, und "nur" ganz einfache Fotos. Und doch ist am Rande ein solch schönes Bild entstanden, weil sich die Schönheit der Nacht immer durchsetzen wird, wenn wir sie denn lassen!
Beauty of the night
This photo was taken last month as part of my research on light pollution. That night, the focus was not on photographing the beauty of the night sky. There was no appropriately planned setting, no specifically geared equipment, just a few "simple fotos". And yet such a beautiful picture "created itself", because the beauty of the night will always prevail if we let it!
#Lightpollution #againstlightpollution #Lichtverschmutzung #gegenlichtverschmutzung #lichtverschmutzungistdoof #patendernacht #gemeinsamfürdieumwelt #gemeinsamfürdienacht #darkskies #darkskies4all #underonesky #globeatnight #discoverthenight #protectthenight #lovedarkskies #turnyourlightsoff #rettetdienacht #starvingfordarkness #sterneschauen #nachthaltig #mirgehteinlichtaus #austria #idadarksky #womeninastro #passioneastrofotografia
#igworldmilkyway #milkyway_nightscape_ #women_shooting_stars #gesäuse #acquariumofstars
river/tree/sky/house
#blackandwhiteshot #blackandwhitephotography #outdoorshot #outdoorsjournal #darknessvisible #darkness #darksky #darkskyweek #darkskytravels #darknessisbeautiful #blackandwhite #photographer #ig #b&w #photography #trees #shade #treeshade #treesforlife #treesplease #treesup #river #riverwensum #norfolkcountryside #norwichlife #norwichphoto #marriotsway #marriotswaynorwich
Sunset over a field of smiling sunflowers. I came here just a week ago, and the flowers had not bloomed yet. What a difference one week makes! I was hoping the clouds from earlier in the day would stick around for an interesting sunset but they decided to bugger off. Oh well, at least I have a full field of smiling sunflowers.
#sunrise_and_sunsets #sunsets_captures #landscape #landscapephotography #sunrisephotography #goodmorning #griswoldct #sunflowers #sunflowerfield #sunsetphotography #connecticutphotographer #connecticut_igers #localconnecticut #ctviews #visitct #raw_newengland #bestofthenutmegstate #bestofconnecticut #ignewengland #shoreline_ct #newenglandphotography #naturalconnecticut #scenesofct #newenglandwithlove #discoverthenight
A walk to Galactic Point.
Finally, a clear and crisp night with minimal haze. The Milky Way was on fine display last night, as seen from Webster Point. To sit on this sea wall with feet dangling, while waves splash your toes and the Milky Way arcs overhead in breathtaking beauty, is one of the simple joys of living on the coast. To quote Calvin (from Calvin and Hobbes), “If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I bet they’d live a lot differently.”
#localconnecticut #ctviews #visitct #raw_newengland #bestofthenutmegstate #bestofconnecticut #onlyinconnecticut #naturephotography #newenglandcharm #ignewengland #newenglandphotography #naturalconnecticut #connecticut_igers #naturalnewengland #scenesofct #raw_seasons #newenglandstyle #newenglandwithlove #milkywayphotography #milkywaychasers #connecticutphotographer #nightphotography #longexposure #discoverthenight
#home #nature_obsession #natureview #naturebrilliance #darkskyshots #trees #nature_good #natureperfection #natureinfocus #treecutting #treeshunter #treeart #treesrock #treesurgery #naturephotos #tagify_app #natureporn #darkskybrewing #darkskyweek #treetattoo #treeline #treeclimber #darkskypreserve #naturelover #naturewalk #naturephotographer #naturecaptures #treeclimbing #natureart #darkskytravels
“Twilight drops her curtain down, and anchors it on a star.”
Lately I’ve been thinking about the people who come into my life. They say everyone you meet is meant to teach you something about yourself. I suppose sometimes it’s meant to push you out of your comfort zone, expand your boundaries, and find growth you didn’t know was possible. And other times, perhaps it’s to help you understand where your own boundaries are, test your resilience, and how well you are anchored to your own center to weather out the storm that just crossed your path.
#sunrise_and_sunsets #sunsets_captures #landscape #landscapephotography #yes_busa #sunrisephotography #goodmorning #sunsetphotography #connecticutphotographer #connecticut_igers #localconnecticut #ctviews #visitct #raw_newengland #bestofthenutmegstate #bestofconnecticut #ignewengland #madisonct #guilfordct #shoreline_ct #newenglandphotography #naturalconnecticut #scenesofct #newenglandwithlove #discoverthenight
Eine andere Art sich zu vergegenwärtigen: wir alle sind aus Sternenstaub 😉
... und zum Beispiel unsere Zähne aus Kalcium, Phosphor und Sauerstoff, die in der Hitze von lange vergangenen Supernovae entstanden sind! (M. Westmoquette, Mindful Thoughts for Stargazers - Buchtipp!!)
🌌 Diese Verbindung zum Universum können wir sichtbar erleben, jedes Mal wenn wir in den Nachthimmel und seine Tiefen blicken - und uns diese nicht mit künstlichem Licht bei Nacht versperren!
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Another way to say; we are all made of stardust 😉
... and e.g. our teeth made of calcium, phosphor and oxygen, formed in the heat of past supernovae! (M. Westmoquette, Mindful thoughts for stargazers - highly recommended!!)
We can experience this connection to the universe each time we look into the night sky and its depths - and not obstruct this with artificial light at night!
#Lightpollution #againstlightpollution #Lichtverschmutzung #gegenlichtverschmutzung #lichtverschmutzungistdoof #patendernacht #gemeinsamfürdieumwelt #gemeinsamfürdienacht #darkskies #darkskies4all #underonesky #globeatnight #discoverthenight #protectthenight #lovedarkskies #turnyourlightsoff #rettetdienacht #starvingfordarkness #nachthaltig #mirgehteinlichtaus #austria #mindfulstargazing #wirallesindaussternenstaub #weareallmadeofstardust
⚡️🏍
blovebutler
#oceanbeach #sandiego #nightshots #urban #weownthenight #citycaptured #ebike #rider #ridergirl #california #portal #nightvision #urbanshotsdaily #urbanexplorer #citysquad #hashtags #cityunit afterdarksquad cityscape_discovery #exploretocreate #sonyalpha #streetstyle #discoverthenight #gels
Cosa possiamo fare nella vita reale per combattere l'inquinamento luminoso?
Non tutto è illuminazione pubblica, sappiamo quanto è difficile in quel campo fare un cambio d'installazioni (anche se per quelle nuove dovrebbero avere più attenzione...) in ogni caso noi possiamo sia scegliere lampadine e lampioni nella nostra proprietà che insegnare ad altri come fare.
Qui i 5 principi fondamentali dalla #DarkSkyAssociation per illuminare meglio, in modo sicuro e "risparmioso"
1. UTILE: La luce deve uno scopo (non solo perché è in offerta prendiamo lampadine potentissime)
2. MIRATA: La direzione verso il basso, solo dove serve, mai verso l'alto, mai a 45°, mai palle da chiromante
3. BASSA: La luce meno potente possibile
4. CONTROLLATA: dimmerabile, timer, sensori di movimento, spenta quando non serve
5. COLORE: cerca quella più simile alle candele, meno di 3000 K (calda e gialla si fredda e bianca no)
#scoprilanotte #nottestellata #cielostellato #inquinamentoluminoso #milluminodimeno #illuminazioneresponsabile #darkskies #idsw2021 #discoverthenight #lightpollution #nightsky #wildlifeconservation #idadarksky #inquinamentoluminoso🚫
Support Dark Skies!
Can you pitch in a few dollars a month to protect the night? Support the International Dark-Sky Association by becoming an IDA monthly member today. When you join our monthly giving club, you will receive a special Nighthawk magnet.
Buy a T-Shirt!
Printed in small batches. Lots of styles and sizes available. Proceeds benefit International Dark-Sky Association.
