One of the great things about being in the Australian Outback is the view of the night sky. There are very few places I have been in the world where I was able to see the full Milky Way from horizon to horizon. With so little light pollution, the views of the stars are uninterrupted.
National Geographic did a big cover story on the growing problem of light pollution in the world today and how our night sky is vanishing. Here is an excerpt from that article that I found particularly relevant this evening:
“Living in a glare of our own making, we have cut ourselves off from our evolutionary and cultural patrimony—the light of the stars and the rhythms of day and night. In a very real sense, light pollution causes us to lose sight of our true place in the universe, to forget the scale of our being, which is best measured against the dimensions of a deep night with the Milky Way—the edge of our galaxy—arching overhead.”
I took this photo up on a hill overlooking the town of Laverton. On top of this hill is a big water tower which is sort of a landmark here in town. I wanted to get something that said “Laverton” against the night sky. Also, as I found out, there are a few people in town lobbying for an observatory. They are currently applying for funding so I gave them this photo to use in their grant applications. They want to show how spectacular it really is out here. Hopefully this photo will help:
The hill is called Billy Goat Hill FYI 🙂