Dear Tom,
I was able to see the stars clearly when I moved to Des Plaines 60 years ago, but now I miss seeing them at night. I understand gradually losing the ozone layer and the use of fossil fuels is to blame. Will I ever see the stars again?
Louise Koehler, Des Plaines
Dear Louise,
Triton College astronomer Dan Joyce shares your frustration and laments that "the grandeur of the nighttime sky" (as he refers to it) that was once a common spectacle has faded.
However, the decay of the atmosphere's ozone layer is not to blame because ozone only blocks the ultraviolet component of sunlight. Nor are fossil fuels at fault: the switch from coal to natural gas for heating has greatly reduced particulate pollution and our air is now clearer than ever.
The problem is light pollution. Metropolitan outdoor nighttime illumination is now so bright that it overwhelms our ability to discern the stars.
I was able to see the stars clearly when I moved to Des Plaines 60 years ago, but now I miss seeing them at night. I understand gradually losing the ozone layer and the use of fossil fuels is to blame. Will I ever see the stars again?
Louise Koehler, Des Plaines
Dear Louise,
Triton College astronomer Dan Joyce shares your frustration and laments that "the grandeur of the nighttime sky" (as he refers to it) that was once a common spectacle has faded.
However, the decay of the atmosphere's ozone layer is not to blame because ozone only blocks the ultraviolet component of sunlight. Nor are fossil fuels at fault: the switch from coal to natural gas for heating has greatly reduced particulate pollution and our air is now clearer than ever.
The problem is light pollution. Metropolitan outdoor nighttime illumination is now so bright that it overwhelms our ability to discern the stars.
