This is the view from outside my window and I’ve always wondered where the stars were. I learned that it’s very rare to spot stars in the city because of all the pollution, especially light pollution. Light pollution is a phenomenon where the city lights make the sky brighter so you can’t see the stars as clearly. This is why you can’t see stars in the morning and during the daytime because the sun is out. You can see stars at night because they shine brighter than the surrounding darkness of the sky. Since the city is always lit with bright lights and it also has such a concentrated amount of pollution that enters the atmosphere, there is no way for someone who lives in the city to enjoy the twinkling stars at night.
I think that’s one of the saddest things about living in NYC, not being able to see any stars in the sky. Every time I go on a trip, I try to spend a good amount of time outside when it gets dark, because I never get to see the stars where I live. I’m not sure that there’s anything we’d be able to do about it, since so many people work around the clock and theres a need for all the light. Maybe it would be a good idea for the city to require lights to be shut off for a night once in a while. It something we don’t often think about, but its sad that we don’t get to see all the stars and planets on a regular basis.
This is one of the things I think a lot about. Every single summer I visit my grandparents in Ukraine. Every time I get out of the car to enter their house (at about 1 AM by that time) I am struck by how beautiful the starry skies look and how raw and natural the air feels. There is a stark difference after leaving NYC and even Kyiv (capital of Ukraine and is also polluted to some extent). The muddy wet grass in the rural area there has a much more natural smell than Central Park grass. The starry skies, the grassy ground, and the air make us more connected with nature. It has always been that way and we should strive to preserve our link to nature. If that means shutting off lights at night for a while, then we should do it.
Huh… Maybe it is a function of being so far from the city, but here in the Rockaways on a clear night, you can see dozens of stars… A few of them compose constellations I used to know the name of but have since forgotten.
I have always been inspired by the stars, both in my writing and in my career choices, and I don’t know what I would do if I lived in a place where you can’t see the stars. Most likely, I’d adapt, but I wouldn’t be as happy.
An interesting connection between something that has been with us since the dawn of humanity, and the way the modern way of life hinders star-gazers and those who would look upon the sky and be inspired by all those foreign points of light.
I’d never considered that you can see fewer stars in the inner boroughs, so thank you for opening my eyes.