Eclipses, comets, meteor showers and other astronomical phenomena, obtained from different places of the world thanks to the care of these territories to preserve the natural darkness of the night. Sustanaible use of artificial lighting allows us to enjoy these marvelous images, while at the same time preserving nocturnal ecosystems and the animals and plants which inhabit them.
Light pollution is the introduction, directly or indirectly, of artificial light into the earth’s atmosphere. Light pollution is another form of air pollution, which is produced by the dispersion of artificial light at night (ALAN) in the sky, altering the natural darkness of the night. Understood as an environmental change resulting from human activity, light pollution must also be included within the processes of Global Planetary Change. This kind of pollution changes the natural darkness of the night. There are scientific evidences that light pollution can generate impacts on biodiversity, life standards and health of people affecting, globally, sustainable development.
How can we prevent it? To ensure that outdoor lighting does not have harmful consequences for the environment and people, it must meet these requirements.
- All light must have a clear purpose.
- It must be directed only where it is needed.
- The light must not be brighter than necessary.
- Lighting should only be used when it is needed and useful.
- The use of warmer colored lights is recommended, whenever possible.
Astrophotographer Juan Carlos Casado, in collaboration with the Interreg EELabs (Energy Efficiency Laboratories) project, has produced 24 stunning astronomical images in 1080 x 2400 px format so that you can enjoy the wonders of the Universe every time you look at your phone.
EELabs is a project funded by the INTERREG V-A MAC Programme 2014-2020, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) of the European Union, under contract number MAC2/4.6d/238. EELabs involves 5 centres in Macaronesia (the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), the Instituto Tecnológico y de Energías Renovables (ITER), the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) and the nodes of the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds of the Azores and Madeira (SPEA Açores and SPEA Madeira). The main goals of EELabs is to create Laboratories to measure the Energy Efficiency of Artificial Light at Night in protected natural areas of Macaronesia (Canary Islands, Madeira and Açores), to extend the legislation on sky protection that is currently applied in the municipalities where these laboratories will be installed and to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution on the natural ecosystems of Macaronesia in order to achieve sustainable growth where the increase in artificial light at night, a consequence of economic development, does not compromise natural spaces due to an excessive increase in light pollution.
