Why we should protect the night sky

The sky is our window to the Universe. It reminds us of who we are, what we are made of, and what we aspire to be as a civilization. In the past centuries, humans have lighted the sky and released fumes into the air that blocked the light of the stars, a light that traveled for billions of years only to reach into our eyes. As humans, we believe that someday we will reach the stars, but if we treasure this dream, we should preserve this window for our future generations, so they could someday fulfill it. The over-illumination of cities produces the skyglow, an effect which reduces the contrast in the night sky to the extent where it is impossible to see all but the brightest stars. For me, not being able to see the stars is a great misfortune. How can we instill into our offspring the sentiment of awe and inspiration when looking at the sky, while hiding the billions of stars behind this wall of light? How will astronomers study the stars and unwind the mysteries of our Universe? The beauty of the Milky Way is outshone by our ego, while we are wasting our precious energy, releasing greenhouse gasses into the air and forfeiting our future. Few people know that animals rely on the night sky to guide themselves. If youve ever seen insects flying around a light bulb, it is because they think the light is coming from the stars. Since the light is too close they become confused and trapped around the light bulb, dying literally like moths into a fire. Birds are also affected by light pollution, they get disoriented during the migration periods and die of exhaustion and collisions. Thus, light pollution affects the food chain and could drive some species to extinction. The night sky is precious to us, but we mostly dont seem to understand. If we still believe in our dream of reaching the stars, then we need to be more responsible by reducing our impact into the environment. While we are saving the night sky we are saving our planet, making it more hospitable for our future generations. - Dorin Vlad-tefan, anul II Biochimie