The expression 'light-pollution' never made any sense to me until I camped on the east side of the Timpenogas (sp?) mountains and actually saw the Milky Way for the first time. I grew up in Los Angeles, and between the smog and the lights you were lucky to see ten stars at one time (in the sky, silly, not Hollywood stars).
Now I found myself irritated at 'newcomers' who move out into our lovely valley and bring their non-motion-detected-floodlights (if anyone has a better way to say that, please let me know) that remain on all night - their bright 'solar-powered' (why did I just put that in parenthesis? maybe to show a little bit more disdain) driveway guides that stay on until 2 a.m. (do they actually expect company that late?).
It's like people are scared of the DARK.
And when there isn't a moon up and about, it is very very darkout here at night. I know I used to have much better night-vision, and it now takes my eyes four to five minutes to totally adjust. But then it is simply one of the coolest things in the world - you are guided by STAR light. You can see your SHADOW just by the dazzling constellations.
So all you civilized types that want to bring that bad 'ole light out here - GO BACK TO YOUR CITIES and LEAVE US IN THE DARK.
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