The human being has always directed his curious gaze to the starry sky . For centuries, gazing at the night sky has been helpful, awe-inspiring and inspiring to people from all corners of the world.
We live under a vault dotted with thousands, millions of stars, a window to the Universe that provides a unique experience to those who observe it. Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly difficult to enjoy that privilege . Until not too long ago, it was enough to look up to attend the show. Today, in our overlit metropolises, barely a handful of stars are visible.
According to research published last June, 80% of the world’s population lives under skies with high light pollution. The elaborated map shows that more than a third of humanity cannot see the Milky Way, the white river that runs through the night sky. In Europe, the proportion reaches 60%, and in the United States, 80%.
Looking at the stars invites us to reflect on our position in the Universe, to relativize on the time and space in which we live. It can generate emotions analogous to those some astronauts experience when they view Earth from the outside, in what is known as the perspective effect . Awe and awe have positive psychological effects, and can foster creativity and inspiration.
For some time, there have been voices that claim the right to see the stars, and ask that the starry sky be protected in the same way that emblematic, rich or beautiful natural spaces are protected.
The spearhead of these voices is the Starlight movement, promoted by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias and supported by UNESCO, which fights to preserve and enhance the night sky, considering it an important scientific and cultural heritage.
One of its initiatives is the creation of Starlight Reserves, places where “a commitment is established to defend the quality of the night sky and access to starlight”, according to the Starlight Foundation itself.
There are currently eight places with this rating: three in the Canary Islands, two in Andalusia, one in Catalonia, one in Chile and one in Canada.
One of the most particular reserves is the island of La Palma . There is the Roque de los Muchachos observatory, where the Gran Telescopio Canarias is located, the largest optical telescope in the world . In 1988, in order to protect the observatory, the Law of Heaven was created, the first law in the world that seeks to protect the night sky of a certain place.
Thanks to this law, the exterior lighting of the entire island (and also those of the part of Tenerife facing La Palma) do not exceed a certain intensity limit. In addition, atmospheric pollution and electromagnetic radiation levels are specially controlled, which could interfere with the observatory’s equipment. Finally, the law establishes limitations on aircraft traffic in the area, declaring the airspace “Ecological Protection Zone” .
With these types of initiatives, the Starlight movement aims to preserve or improve the quality of the planet’s night skies. In this way, better science can be done and astronomical observation with telescopes will be of higher quality. On the other hand, activities related to stargazing will emerge and a type of sustainable tourism will be promoted. And perhaps most importantly, it will ensure that future generations are not deprived of the wonderful opportunity to be fascinated by just raising their heads.
