Preserving our night sky

The night sky is the County’s hidden treasure

For most of human history, people could look up in the night and see a sky full of stars. Over the last 100 years or so, the rise of outdoor lighting at night—streetlights, advertising signs, parking lot lights, and even residential security lights—have brightened the night sky and veiled the stars for city dwellers across the globe. In a city such as Toronto, only a handful of the brightest stars are visible from the downtown core; out in the suburbs there may be a few dozen that can be seen. Prince Edward County is still predominantly rural, and there are pockets within where the night sky can be seen in its primeval splendour. Away from town or village lights and out of sight of local homes, the sky above is a black canvas punctuated by innumerable points of light. At this time of year, the Milky Way is a luminous band that stretches overhead from the southwest to the northeast when true darkness falls. It’s not all a pretty picture, though. On the southern horizon, the glow from American towns can be seen across the lake. Looking west, you can see the dome of light from the GTA. To the north, there’s Belleville and Trenton, and folks in Cherry Valley can see Picton’s contribution too.

The County is poised on the brink of accelerated housing development, and that means more streetlights and more outdoor lighting such as porch and patio lights. And unless those lights are properly designed and located, that means more light pollution encroaching on the night sky. Ideally, outdoor lighting should be fully shielded and directed downwards and only used when necessary—for example having motion detectors so the lights come on when needed. Properly positioned lights also means there are no shadowed areas that can compromise nighttime safety, and the use of shielded fixtures means that glare is not an issue, something that may become more acute for older eyes. There’s been a trend towards the use of brighter outdoor lights, particularly with the advent of energy-efficient LED lights. Even if the fixtures are properly designed and situated, the upward light scatter from ground reflections will add to the burden of light pollution, so using a light of the right intensity is important as well.

The night sky environment is an essential component of the natural beauty of this place. For many visitors to the County, it may be the only time they can take in the sight of a sky full of stars, and for some it may be the very first time they will have seen the Milky Way. Preserving that view is on par with preserving the natural environment of the landscape, or preserving the heritage of the County. As towns and villages embrace new development, let’s not lose sight of the night sky. For many societies around the world, the stories written among the stars of the night sky are the stories of their culture. City light pollution means those stories are now only on the pages of a book for those residents. Here in the County, those stories can still be seen in the sky.