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Given the harmful effects of light pollution, a pair of astronomers has coined a new term to help focus efforts to combat it. Their term, as reported in a brief paper in the preprint database arXiv and a letter to the journal Science, is "noctalgia." In general, it means "sky grief," and it captures the collective pain we are experiencing as we continue to lose access to the night sky.

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[-] YurkshireLad@lemmy.ca 75 points 1 year ago

It’s shocking how many lights are left on during the night in a city or a built up area. Does a big box store need to keep its logo lit all night? We’re so desperate to shut out the beauty of the planet and blind ourselves with human made ugliness.

[-] BURN@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago

TBH if I’m out at night I’d much prefer it to be bright and lit up in the city. If the city is dark and quiet at night it feels more unsafe to residents.

Not saying it’s right, but it makes sense

[-] shalafi@lemmy.world -1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

My gf says the same about our hood. I like it dark as it is. We spend a lot of time walking at night, and I don't feel it's any less safe.

If you're on the street in the dark, your eyes adjust so you can also see into the shadows. If it's lit up, you can only see what's in the light.

I'm actually a bit nervous under the bright lights! Having said that, I'm a man and don't have the same concerns as a woman (in the dark).

On top of that, I almost always carry a pistol with tritium sights or a light. So maybe that's another reason I'm a bit more confident in the dark?

[-] QHC@lemmy.one 14 points 1 year ago

On top of that, I almost always carry a pistol with tritium sights or a light. So maybe that’s another reason I’m a bit more confident in the dark?

Yeah, carrying a gun everywhere might have something to do with why you feel comfortable and other people don't.

[-] shalafi@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Meh, a gun is a rock-bottom, last resort thing. It's not something where a sane person thinks, "I'm armed so I have nothing to fear."

Hard to explain to someone that doesn't carry, but it makes one hyper-aware of their situation, because it's a trump card you don't want to play. Makes you more likely to avoid risk, if that makes sense.

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this post was submitted on 19 Sep 2023
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