April 2025: Shadow Cast!, Light Pollution News.

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This Episode:

This week, we learn about an airport that has started down its path to become Dark Sky certified, have you heard of the cautionary tale of Goldendale, WA? We’ll be sure to fill you in!…and we learn about the one noctourism adventure that you need to check off of your list in 2025!

On this episode, I welcome Dark Sky Ohio’s Traci Cardinal, the Actual Astronomy Podcast’s Shane Ludke, and author, and travel writer, Stephanie Vermillion!

Host:

Stephanie Vermillion

Stephanie Vermillion is a Cleveland-based travel journalist and photographer. She covers astrotourism, adventure, culture, and conservation for publications like Outside Magazine, National Geographic, Travel & Leisure, and Vogue. She’s the author of National Geographic’s 100 Nights of a Lifetime: The World’s Ultimate Adventures After Dark, and an astrotourism columnist for Outside.

Traci Cardinal

Traci Cardinal is the president of Dark Sky Ohio, a position she has held after dedicating over four years of volunteer service to the organization. During her time with Dark Sky Ohio, Traci has played a crucial role in developing lighting ordinances for several cities and counties across Ohio, helping preserve the night sky’s beauty. She has also been actively involved in dark sky outreach programs, engaging with schools, colleges, and community events to raise awareness about light pollution and its environmental impact.

In addition to her advocacy work, Traci is a skilled physician associate specializing in spine surgery. She holds a Master’s of Medical Science from Emory University, combining her expertise in healthcare with a passion for making a positive impact in her community.

Shane Ludtke

Shane Ludtke has had a lifelong interest in astronomy. His first view of Saturn through a telescope at age 9 established his love of the night sky. Shane became an active astronomer in 2003 after purchasing an 8” Dobsonian telescope. Shane loves to observe all objects in the sky and uses telescopes ranging from 25mm to 300mm aperture. Shane is an active member of the local astronomy club and has held numerous positions including President. Shane and his long-time observing friend, Chris Beckett, began the Actual Astronomy podcast in 2020 and continue to release 2 episodes weekly that focus on visual observing.

Full Article List:

1. China: Eerie jellyfish-like streetlight spotted in China, Stingers Hub.
2. Letter to the editor: Let’s not mislead anyone when talking about dark sky initiatives, Wendell Grogan, Summit Daily.
3. Dark Sky Week deemed dangerous, fails in North Dakota Senate, Jeff Beach, North Dakota Monitor.
4. My 2025 Wellness Trend Predictions, Katie Wells, Wellnessmama.com.
5. People in industrial societies get more sleep than hunter-gatherers, Michael Le Page, New Scientist.
6. Inside the Private Astronomy Village Hidden in the Darkest Part of Georgia, Blake Guthrie, Matador Network.
7. This New ‘Astro Trail’ in Arizona Is Located in One of the ‘Astronomy Capitals of the World’—and Makes Stops at Observatories, State Parks, and More, Evie Charrick, Travel + Leisure.
8. South Africa tourism’s sky-high ambitions, Dorine Reinstein, Travel Weekly.
9. Stars align as Wales leads the UK in dark skies protection, Wales Government.
10. Sisters Joins Oregon’s Dark Sky Movement With Prestigious Certification, Valerie Stimac, Forbes.
11. New Zealand’s Tāhuna Glenorchy Achieves Dark Sky Sanctuary Status, Valerie Stimac, Forbes.
12. Landes De Gascogne Joins Global Network Of Dark Sky Reserves, Valerie Stimac, Forbes.
13. JH Airport on track to become first DarkSky certified airport, Leigh Reagan Smith, Buckrail.
14. Commentary: A tale of two cities, Bob Yoesle, Columbia Gorge News.

Light Pollution News: April Highlights

Eye-Catching Street Light in Shandong, China

Have you ever seen a street light quite like this? In Shandong, China, an undulating blue-purple-sea green fixture mimics the fluid underwater movement of a jellyfish. This mesmerizing design challenges conventional ideas of roadside lighting. 

Dark Skies Debate in Breckenridge

The ongoing debate around Breckenridge’s potential starry skies ordinance took a turn this month. Wendell Grogan, a neuropsychologist, criticized the dark skies community for “truthiness” and claimed outdoor lighting has no impact on health or bird population decline. 

North Dakota Senate Rejects Light Pollution Awareness Resolution

North Dakota’s Senate rejected Resolution 4004 aimed at raising awareness about light pollution. Senator Todd Beard expressed concerns about safety hazards during bird migration season, despite the resolution targeting unnecessary decorative lights—not streetlights. 

Wellness Trends: Light Pollution and Sleep Hygiene

Katie Wells of the Wellness Mama podcast predicts growing recognition of light pollution’s effects on circadian rhythms and sleep hygiene in 2025. Her recommendations include blackout curtains to combat nighttime lighting issues. 

Industrialized Sleep Patterns vs. Natural Rhythms

A study in Proceedings of the Royal Society B analyzed 54 sleep studies and found industrialized societies sleep longer but are disconnected from natural circadian rhythms—leading to alignment issues. 

Astrotourism Adventures in Arizona and Georgia

• Arizona Astro-Trail: Explore observatories like the Flandreau Planetarium and Steward Observatory for an astronomy-themed experience.
• Deerlick Astronomy Village: Located near Atlanta, Georgia, this 10-acre site offers affordable stargazing opportunities compared to Cherry Springs State Park. 

South Africa’s Astrotourism Plan

South Africa’s Minister Blade Nzimande announced plans to enhance astrotourism by offering high-end night sky experiences for tourists. 

Wales Leads UK in Dark Skies Protection

Wales boasts the highest percentage of protected dark skies globally, according to a press release shared by Dani Robertson. 

Jackson Hole Airport Pursues DarkSky Certification

Jackson Hole Airport is installing motion-activated parking lot lighting and variable terminal brightness systems as part of its journey to become the first DarkSky-certified airport. 

New International Dark Sky Designations

• Sisters, Oregon becomes an International Dark Sky Community.
• Tahuna Glenorchy in New Zealand gains International Dark Sky Sanctuary status.
• France adds Landes de Gascogne Regional National Park as its sixth International Dark Sky Reserve. 

Goldendale Observatory Decertification Warning

Goldendale Observatory in Washington lost its International Dark Sky Park status due to changes in local lighting ordinances influenced by political pressures. 

Light Pollution News: April Read Along

Let’s start this month off with a fun one. Have you ever seen anything quite like this?

It’s technically a street light, I guess – if by that definition of street light, you are only specifying a roadside pole with a lighted fixture atop.

Over in Shandong, China, there is an undulating blue-purple-sea green fixture. Now the video label says “jellyfish like,” which I can see based on the fluidity of the movement whereby the interior legs flip outward and back again mimicking the underwater movement of a jellyfish.

Before I take us down the health road tonight, I came across another chapter in the ongoing saga as told around Breckenridge’s potential starry skies ordinance.  

This month, a self-proclaimed dark skies loving neuropsychologist chastised members of the dark sky community for what he deemed as mischaracterizations, or as he put it “truthiness.”

From SummitDaily, Wendell Grogan states “Outdoor lighting has zero effect on health.” In addition, he cast doubt on characterizations of light pollution as a potential cause for bird population decline.  

Elsewhere, in North Dakota, the senate of that fine state shot down Resolution 4004 which would have been a proclamation simply designed to raise awareness around the issue of light pollution.

One senator, Republican Todd Beard, may not have read the bill at all as he was worried about communities and businesses enduring safety hazards by turning off the lights during bird migration season.

Per the proclamation, only “unnecessary” lights during bird migration season would be requested to be turned off – that is generally taken to mean decorative building lights, advertising, etc. I doubt very much that means streetlights, Senator, but you are wiser than I, I suspect. 

The resolution garnered one committee vote, by Republican Justin Gerhardt, who noted as a father of four, “if there was any way to get through to them to turn off the lights when they leave a room, I needed to encourage that.”

Let’s swing over to the health front today. I have a prediction by Katie Wells. Katie Wells is a podcaster who runs the ‘Wellness Mama’ podcast. But I did come across her wellness trend predictions for 2025. And the reason I included this piece in here isn’t because I have an affinity for amplifying Wells, but rather because folks in this space tend to shadow each other’s ideas.

Wells put together a list of 8 predictions she’s making based on trends that she sees on social media and in the blogosphere. Two of them are related to this very topic of light trespass and unneighborly nighttime lighting practices.

At number four, Wells wagers that there will be a continued trend toward recognizing the importance of light and circadian rhythms.  And number seven is sleep hygiene. Wells even mentions the need for blackout curtains due to “light pollution” which would presumably interfere with one’s sleep.

Last month, I spoke about a survey by CNET that found that people are open to spending a lot of dough on having a good night’s sleep, because, apparently most people don’t have a good night’s sleep.

Staying on the topic of circadian rhythms, via the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, a team of researchers looked at 54 published sleep studies and found that the industrialized world actually spends more time sleeping while in bed than folks in non-industrialized communities. Two of the researchers, Leela McKinnon and David Samson, attribute part of this to a general sense of physical safety of industrialized sleep environments (versus vying for sleeping spots with rival humans and animals).

However, on the flip side, us industrialized sleepers appear out of touch with nature’s daily rhythms and, hence have an increased propensity for issues deriving from circadian rhythm alignment problems.

Here are some additional ideas. Perhaps, next time you visit Arizona, why not stop by Tucson and take part in the Astro-Trail? Think beer trail, but instead of visiting breweries, you visit observatories? Visit the Flandrau Planetarium, the Steward Observatory, and even the Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab.  

And if you’re an amateur astronomer living in the southeast part of the United States, why not call up the Atlanta Astronomy Club?  90 miles away from the city of traffic jams sits the Deerlick Astronomy Village, a cleared area in the East Central Piedmont region of Georga. The Village has a shared field with electric towers and all. It’s a 10 acre site that’s a southern answer to the northeast’s Cherry Springs State Park.

I will say that the price point is much nicer than Cherry Springs, which, if you’re not aware, has upped its field prices to $25 per vehicle. Prices for the Deerlick Astronomy Village range from $5 to $20 depending on what you plan to sleep in, and very reasonably priced annual passes are offered – again something that the DCNR here in PA is planning to do away with. 

Down in South Africa, the minister of the Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation, and I love this name, Blade Nzimande, outlined an astrotourism plan. South Africa is looking to capitalize on the current trend by bringing high end night sky experiences to tourists.

This in from past guest, fellow author, Stephanie, and friend of the show; Dani Roberston dropped us a line on Instagram sharing with us a press release titled ‘Stars Align as Wales Leads the UK in dark skies protection,’ whereby Wales boasts the highest percentage of protected dark skies in the world. A fact I did not know.  Congratulations to all the hard work out there Dani, Jack, and all of you!

In other designation news, the Jackson Hole Airport is continuing down the road to become the first DarkSky certified airport. The airport is installing motion-activated parking lot lighting systems that raise the light levels when motion is detected. Lighting internally at the terminal is also monitored to be a variable brightness depending on the use case. Runway and tower lights will not be impacted as those are FAA regulated safety standards. 

I think this Jackson Hole Airport holds the promise of how to, at the very least, show what more thought-out lighting can do.

Rounding out the designations for this month, let’s welcome Sisters, Oregon to becoming International Dark Sky Community, the seventh dark sky place in Oregon. New Zealand’s Tahuna Glenorchy becomes the nation’s fifth International Dark Sky Sanctuary. And France chalks up another International Dark Sky Reserve in Landes de Gascogne Regional National Park, the sixth one for France. 

And to close out tonight, a tale of foreboding warning, an opinion piece by Bob Yoesle in the Columbia Gorge News. 

Yoesle recounts the tale of Goldendale, Washington. Goldendale is home to the Goldendale Observatory, which houses a 24.5” reflector telescope for Clark College in Vancouver, WA.  The observatory became an International Dark Sky Park in 2010.  However, by 2013, changes in the town’s political environment, saw an abandonment of their previous pledges to preserve night.  Yoesle claims that Washington State Representative Republican Gina Mosbrucker pressured the town to rework their outdoor lighting ordinance in favor of a less restrictive one. In 2017, Dark Sky International decertified Glendale Observatory State Park, the only such place to see a decertification.