"SKY GRIEF": NEW TERM COINCIDES WITH HUMANITY'S DIMINISHING ACCESS TO NIGHT SKY DUE TO LIGHT POLLUTION

Fading away into the ocean of artificial light, the intrinsic beauty and sense of wonder emanating from our night skies, are rapidly becoming lost to the phenomenon that astronomers have dubbed “noctalgia” or “sky grief”. Driven by human-made light pollution, these naturally dark canvases are now illuminated, marring our view of the cosmos and raising serious questions about the eventual impact of our existence on this planet.

At the heart of this problem are seemingly benign sources - office buildings, streets, parking lots, homes, sporting facilities, and other urban structures that produce light pollution. In our zeal to dismantle the darkness around us and mould night into an extension of day, we’ve inadvertently amplified the problem. The ill-conceived shift to highly efficient LED lights, previously lauded as a positive step towards reducing power consumption, has inadvertently cast a pall over our night skies. These ultra-bright lights are often left on through the night, contributing to the loss of our celestial backdrop.

Adding to the woes of noctalgia, the advent of communication "constellations" like SpaceX's Starlink system has seen an exponential increase in the number of satellites orbiting our planet. This proliferation of technology, designed to benefit mankind, is ironically creating a blanket of light in the night sky — a celestial barrier that distances us from the vast wonders of the cosmos.

The loss of a clear, intimate night sky, dense with twinkling stars and planets, carries with it tangible and cultural implications. Earth-bound narratives and lore rooted in constellations, stars and planets — from navigation to mythology — are fading from collective human memory. On a more profound ecological scale, light pollution disrupts the circadian rhythms of nocturnal animals, putting their survival at risk and disturbing sensitive ecosystems.

Nonetheless, as a testament to human resilience and acknowledgement of our deep-seated connection to the cosmos, measures are being taken to combat light pollution. Countries around the world are creating dark-sky reserves — designated areas that restrict artificial light pollution, offering people a window into the cosmos, and providing vital refuge for nocturnal wildlife. Night-friendly lighting solutions that minimise both light pollution and energy consumption are also being installed.

However, addressing satellite-based light pollution proves to be a more arduous challenge. It requires international cooperation, agreement on common standards, as well as mounting pressure on companies like SpaceX to adopt responsible low-orbit satellite operation. Through this combined effort across borders and industries, there is growing hope that we can mitigate the encroaching effects of noctalgia.

Astronomers and night-sky enthusiasts fervently hope these moves will help us reclaim our star-studded heritage. We may have lost the battle to noctalgia, but the war has just begun. The struggle is no less than an attempt to reclaim our collective ancestry, renew our bond with nature, and preserve the sense of wonderment wrapped in the folds of the night sky. The reflection of stars in a child's eye, the guide for a lost traveller, the muse for poets and thinkers — these are invaluable, and as custodians of this blue planet, we are duty-bound to preserve this cosmic legacy.