Conservation, Protection & Eduction
Dark Skies start with you
We are DarkSky NOVA
The Northern Virginia Chapter of DarkSky International.
DarkSky International restores the nighttime environment and protects communities from the harmful effects of light pollution through outreach, advocacy, and conservation.
We at DarkSky NOVA are dedicated to safeguarding our health, the health of every community from the negative impacts of light pollution and preserving the beauty and awe of the nighttime environment through our education and outreach efforts about responsible, smart lighting.
Every Day Needs a Night
Photo credit: Eileen Kragie
DarkSky NOVA
Light pollution is growing at twice the rate of the population, doubling every 8 years and in some places scientists predict NO stars will be visible in 20 years unless we take immediate action.
We live in one of those places.
Light pollution is the result of bad lighting: Unshielded, Misaimed, Too Bright, Too White, Too Many, On all Night!
Bad lighting is the result of human behavior and that behavior can be changed.
Learn how to use smart lighting.
Virginia has the largest number of DarkSky International designated Dark Sky Parks of any state east of the Mississippi, and the Observatory at George Mason University is the largest on-campus observatory in the mid-Atlantic region. Coming soon, Observatory Park at Turner Farm in Great Falls will join DarkSky International’s prestigious list of dark sky sites.
Artificial light impacts more than simply the brightening night sky. It has directly measurable negative impacts on:
To protect the night and stop light pollution and light trespass follow the Five Principles for Responsible Outdoor Light at Night
Discover more dark sky places in Virginia here.
Milky Way summer skies in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Skyglow above Montebello, Virginia August 2024
Photo credit: Peter Forister Photography
Too often, outdoor lighting installations at night are overlit, left on when not needed, harmful to the environment and disruptive to neighbors.
As a result, light pollution is a growing global issue that can negatively affect our environment and impact our quality of life. DarkSky and the Illuminating Engineering Society jointly published the Five Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting to prevent and reduce light pollution through the proper application of quality outdoor lighting.
By applying these principles, properly designed lighting at night can be beautiful, healthy, and functional. Projects , businesses and homes that incorporate these principles will save energy and money, reduce light pollution, minimize wildlife disruption, and protect human health.
Five Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting
Light where you need it, when you need it, in the amount needed, and no more. If light is deemed useful and necessary, follow these guidelines to prevent, or when that’s not possible, minimize light pollution.
Read more about how light affects the surrounding environment when applying the Five Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting. Thank you DarkSky LA County!
SCIENCE
VOLUME 380|
ISSUE 6650|
16 JUN 2023
COVER A wild little penguin (Eudyptula minor) stands silhouetted against the city of Melbourne, Australia. Visible direct light sources include buildings, streetlights, and vehicle headlights, and scattered light causes the sky to glow unnaturally bright. Increasing levels of light pollution are having adverse effects on humans and the natural world. See the special section beginning on page 1116.
Photo: Doug Gimesy
George Mason University Observatory The Tower Photo credit: Eileen Kragie
Starry skies are a vanishing treasure because light pollution is washing away our view of the cosmos. It not only threatens astronomy but also disrupts wildlife and affects human health. The glows over cities and towns — seen so clearly from space — are testament to the billions of dollars spent in wasted energy by lighting up the sky.
Losing the Dark is a short planetarium show and video on light pollution, available as a free download in 23 languages.
Take Action
What can we do about light pollution?
Adhering to responsible lighting practices, enacting legislation supportive of dark skies, and promoting scientific research are among the avenues to address light pollution. Your participation can also make a difference!
Be responsible with your lights.
Model the responsible outdoor light at night principles in your neighborhood and your community
Why protect the night?
Our fellow chapter DarkSky Texas has answered that question for all of us here
Ready to take the next step? You can become a contributor to our cause, or participate yourself. Join DarkSky NOVA!
Protect all the migrating birds traversing our Northern Virginia area by joining us and our partner Northern Virginia Bird Alliance in their Bird Safe/ Lights Out program. Click here for more information.
Take the time to watch Lights Out Texas to learn more about how our artificial lights are harming migrating birds.
For millennia, Texas’ skies have cradled a remarkable spectacle – the migration of birds. Guided by the stars and the planet’s magnetic field among other cues, these fearless travelers embark on odysseys of epic proportions. Yet, against cities’ radiant nighttime backdrops, a poignant tale unfolds – the disorienting web of light pollution that distorts their cosmic guides. This film is a tale of redemption, where science and action harmonize in unity. Applied and research science join hands with conservation and education, pledging to safeguard these fragile wanderers. Data from the US weather surveillance radar network weave into a tapestry of understanding. Modern machine learning unfurls secrets, reshaping how we perceive the pulse of the planet’s spring and fall rhythms. Yet, the true lesson lies in the partnership among conservation groups, the government, and the private sector. United in purpose, they craft a symphony of compassion – a simple yet profound dimming of lights. It is my hope that after watching this film, with every light we dim, a beacon of hope is kindled.
With special gratitude to the creatures gracing our skies,
~ Daniel Sheire, Producer, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Lights Out Texas - Bird Conservation Documentary
“Lights Out Texas” is a production of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and all of its content is protected under U.S. and International copyright law. Displaying, copying, reproducing, modifying, republishing, transmitting or distributing this film in whole or in part without express written permission is prohibited.
Every week can be a Light Pollution awareness week!
Join us for a week of awareness to Save the Night and to Protect the Health of all from the harmful effects of artificial lighting at night. Help stop light trespass, over lighting and light pollution on your property, in your neighborhood and in your community.
Educate yourself about the 5 Principles of Responsible Outdoor Lighting at Night and apply them.
Click here Save the Night! Save your Health! for more information about the steps you can take to be part of the solution to stop light pollution and keep our communities healthy.
Our 25 November - 2 December 2024 has ended but let’s not stop here.
Educate yourself, find out how you can help educate others and the simple steps that start with each one of us to stop light pollution.
Light pollution is a neighborhood pollution and community pollution.
Light pollution starts and stops with you!
Photo credit: Denis Degioanni
DarkSky NOVA, a chapter of DarkSky International
Discover DarkSky International
Join DarkSky International here
(formerly known as the International Dark Sky Association)
click on the logo stars
