bhey in town. “Have you ever seen the Milky Way with the naked eye?” When the astronomer Paolo Ochner, head of science dissemination at theAsiago Observatory, asks this question of young astronomy students, usually more than half answer “no”. No wonder: there are guys who have never admired the firmament with hundreds of stars. Since the Second World War, the night sky has become increasingly “dirty”, due to the excess of lighting produced by our cities and from the anthropized territory.
The light of darkness. The spectacle of the Milky Way from Cimon della Pala, Passo Rolle, Trentino. Christian Schipflinger.
So much so that on 28 February 1991 the first was proclaimed day dedicated to light pollution to make people aware of this issue. Meanwhile, someone has started to reevaluate the dark. Today also in Europe there are i Dark Sky Parkplaces protected from the excess of lights where the starry sky appears as in the times of our great-great-grandparents, and are growing new forms of tourism linked to nocturnal landscapes in which darkness and silence prevail.
In praise of the dark
Being able to observe a starry sky is not just a problem for astronomers and amateur astronomers. The truth is that we are wasting the night, and this has serious consequences for life on the planet. To explain it in a simple and clear way there is a book that has just come out, entitled In praise of the dark (Corbaccio) by Johan Eklöf, Swedish zoologist. Darkness is not suitable for us human eyes. Our internal clock prompts us to stay awake during the day and sleep at night by virtue of a hormone, melatonin, which is scarce during the hours of light and increases as the light fades. Sleep that doesn’t come is often linked to the light bombardment we subject ourselves to, especially of white/blue light emitted by the monitors of PCs, tablets, mobile phones. “This kind of light is similar to dawn. It’s as if it were saying to our body: “Wake up!”» he comments Irene Borgna, anthropologist, naturalistic guide and passionate scholar of the dark. «We should use the night shift mode in the evening, with warmer light tones».
The desire to illuminate causes even more serious damage to living beings who prefer the night (one third of vertebrates and nearly two thirds of invertebrates, according to Eklöf). Victims of excess light are insects, fish and migratory birds that travel at night. As for the trees in the city, «the fall of the leaves is postponed and in early spring the artificial lighting can speed up the awakening» writes the zoologist.
Pianura Padana, the most illuminated in Europe
Is light pollution really that bad? “The Po Valley is the most polluted place in Europe,” he says Fabio Falchi, president of theDark Sky Association and researcher ofInstitute of Science and Technology of Light Pollution (Istil). The Italian scholar is co-author of theWorld Atlas of Light Pollution, the first book that – in 2001 – photographed the situation of the planet thanks to the work of an international team of volunteers and astronomers. «In Italy we have one lamppost for every five inhabitants, three times that of Germany» says Falchi. “Except for a blackout, there are no pristine areas. There are relatively dark areas: the islands of Montecristo, Alicudi and Filicudi, Maremma, Sardinia, Piedmont on the border with France and Alto Adige towards Austria».
This all-Italian anxiety to erase the dark is linked to atavistic fears. “The night has always been populated by terrible things and frightening animals, darkness is associated with sin and the devil” comments Irene Borgna. Electricity has made us feel safer. “But powerful light doesn’t necessarily mean safety. Would you trade policemen for streetlights?” she adds. “There Germany has fewer light points per inhabitant than us and fewer thefts» emphasizes Ochner.
Illuminate better and save money
Those who fight against light pollution certainly don’t want to plunge cities back into darkness. It is about better lighting and avoiding waste, especially in times of energy crisis. One of the main problems are the lights directed upwards, which dazzle the animals and are of no use. “If we only shone downwards, 10 percent of the energy would be enough to get the same light,” adds Ochner. According to Falchi, «if we dimmed the light from the street lamps by 1 percent, gradually reaching 50 percent, no one would notice. Except in exceptional cases, there would be enough light and savings». The laws that regulate public lighting are regional. That of the Veneto in 1997 was the first in Italy. «Compliance with the standards depends on the control actions, often there is still a lack of adequate training of the technicians» adds Falchi. «Today, light pollution is not yet perceived as such. If you pour dye into the river, everyone protests. In front of absurd lights, nobody says anything». Yet with less waste, it could be possible to save 1 billion euros a year at a national level. “Our lives would not change, but we would gain health, money and CO2, because electricity has an environmental cost,” comments Borgna. According to Ochner, «we need a change of mentality. If it is the people who ask for less light pollution, the administrators will also go in this direction».
Where to admire the Milky Way
The starry sky can also be a source of income, as a tourist attraction. The Municipality of Asiago participated in the European project Skyscape To enhance astrotourism. Some naturalistic guides have been trained in the Observatory to learn more about the sky and offer it on night trips. In Val d’Ega, in South Tyrol, there is an astrovillage. In Oasi Zegnafrom June the Starsbox allows you to sleep at an altitude of 1500 meters in an open air room with a ceiling of stars.
THE Dark Sky Park, places that meet the criteria defined by the International Dark Sky Association, are popular with hunters of the dark. One of the last recognized in Europe is the natural park Attersee-Traunsee in Austria, where the municipalities of the area worked together on the shielding of light sources, on night-time switching off and on the light thresholds not to be exceeded. The sensations you feel in these places are described well in the book Black skies (Ponte alle Grazie, 2021) Borgna who with his partner toured Europe in a camper in pursuit of true darkness. “Foroglio has remained in our hearts, in Val Bavona, where the darkness is dense, as in the countryside 70 years ago,” comments the anthropologist. «Then we returned home, in Piedmont, to discover that one of the best skies is above our heads, on the Gardetta Plateau». If you have a child, take them to one of these special places to see the Milky Way. It is pure poetry, an emotion that cannot be forgotten.
Darkness and pollution: 5 tips to improve nights
Darkness is necessary for human health and the well-being of the planet. Each of us can help make the night better. Here are some suggestions.
1. Use the warmest lights possible in the house: we gain the quality of sleep.
2. If the condominium or detached house has a garden or an illuminated common area, check that the lights are not directed upwards, such as unshielded round spheres.
3. In case of intrusive light from outside, find out about what the regional law provides: it is possible to report the situation e ask for verification.
4. Avoid having garden lights on all night: you will save on costs and you will do the nocturnal animals a favour. Time it by foreseeing a shutdown in the middle of the night and positioning sensors that allow it to turn on in the event of movement, to protect you from intruders.
5. Talk to people you know: mentality changes occur by circulating ideas.
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