Australian Dark-Sky Preserves - Why Not?

[glend (Glen)]

Reading the article on Canada's Dark-SKy Preserves (all 19 of them), in the October edition of Australian Sky & Telescope magazine (p 98); I can't help wondering why we as a community can't get behind an effort to get the government and National Parks to establish something similiar here. Do we simply take dark skies for granted, given that most of us can find them simply by driving for a couple of hours?

Even with our abundance of remote areas, light pollution is spreading through resource project development, urban spread, and general fear of darkness that makes people put lights up everywhere they go.

Interested?

BTW where is the (subjective) darkest spot you have been in Australia, for me hands down it's Level Post Bay on Lake Eyre SA (several years ago before the water returned).

[Allan_L (Allan)]

Originally Posted by glend

I doubt that IIS actually has 13,000 members that would get behind an initiative to establish Dark-Sky Preserves, as that number probably represents the total number of user id's ever registered (and never audited since); but core active membership might be around 1000 - still a significant sized group.

Hi Glen,

18312 is the total of all members who ever registered. (This being the member number of the Newest Member")

13,569 represents "active" members but can't remember how this is defined.

[glend (Glen)]

Well there you go, I learn something new everyday. I was obviously wrong and that's a significant number of advocates. OP corrected.

[pluto (Hugh)]

There was a discussion about dark sky parks last year, might be relevant:
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...d.php?t=110705

[glend (Glen)]

Doh, looks like I started that one as well, no wonder it seemed familiar. My memory is not what it once was.

[el_draco (Rom)]

Originally Posted by glend

BTW where is the (subjective) darkest spot you have been in Australia,

Western Highlands of Tasmania. Sooooo Dark!

[Paul Haese]

Clayton Bay South Australia is a dark sky community. There is a by law in place which limits lights being left on. There are over 40 street lights but only 5 are turned on. It averages at around 21.5-6, it is quite dark but not the darkest place I have been to. Silverton was very dark, but my wife's cousins have a property 130km north of Warren in NSW. That maxed out each night there on an SQM.

[Wavytone]

The darkest locations I've tried observing...

1. Long ago, out into the Nullarbor to see Halleys Comet one very nice clear, calm night. No lights but I didn't feel it was as dark as...

2. On top of Mt Kaputar... Altitude helps, you do get a darker sky for sure. Though that's a very long drive.

3. Have also tried observing more recently near Ebor, north of Armidale at about 1300m altitude. The photos I took of the night sky showed it was excellent - much darker than my regular haunts closer to Sydney.

4. In the Ovens valley near Harriettville (NE Victoria) and at Lake Catani on top of Mt Buffalo ... Also pretty good sites.

5. The one that stands out for me was observing on the Mt Cook airstrip (New Zealand South Island) where the photos from my camera captured the gegenschein. This was the only time I managed to photograph it.

6. Also visited Shangri-La (southwest China) where it is also pretty dark and high(3000 metres at the hotel). The night sky was good, but as the camera showed, not as good as 4 or 5 above.

SW Tasmania out of Queenstown... Been there 3 times... Not as dark as 4 or 5. Not sure why but the night sky certainly isn't outstanding down there. Not nearly as good as mt cook in NZ.