المملكة: Jeddah astronomical: Optical pollution blocks the Milky Way from billions of people
Engineer Majed Abu Zahra , President The Astronomical Society in Jeddah , that the scene The Milky Way galaxy , which has long inspired the human being and contributed to his understanding of the universe over thousands of years, today it is threatened with the disappearance of the eyes of a large part of the planet’s residents, due to the increased optical pollution resulting from excessive and irregular use of lighting sources. And a source of myths, and the movement of scientific curiosity, but today it is absent from the sky for billions of people, as a result of what we call optical pollution, which is one of the most widespread forms of environmental pollution in our modern era"
light pollution
He pointed out that a recent scientific study within the Atlas global for pollution Al -Laudi revealed worrying numbers, as the luminous tape of the Milky Way has become invisible to 60% of Europeans, and 80% of America’s population The northern, while the inhabitants of entire countries such as Singapore, Kuwait and Malta lost the ability to see it completely.". Optical
“This pollution not only obscures the beauty of the sky, but a person takes away a visual and cultural legacy that accompanied his civilizations since the dawn of history, and all of this happened during only a few decades of the life of modern urbanization,” says Abu Zahira. Serious environmental and health consequences, indicating that it confuses the behavior of migratory birds and night insects, as well as affecting the biological system of humans through sleep disturbances and the rhythm of the biological clock. Scientific and practical, such as the use of shaded lamps that direct light towards the earth only, and smart lighting systems that work when needed, some countries have already started to apply these solutions, and there are areas known as the dark sky reserves that allow the experience of watching the Milky Way with its majestic extension and picturesque details, as they were seen centuries ago, ”Abu Zahra adds. Saying: “Our ancestors looked at the sky, and they discovered their place in this universe, and today we have the responsibility to protect our night from optical pollution, so that future generations remain able to look at the sky and find its place in it"
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