Let There Be Dark
“… the sight of stars always sets me dreaming…”
– Vincent Van Gogh –
On the 7th, I called to Our Kid in addition to ‘Er Indoors to come in addition to witness This specific rare event. He became available, although she said of which she’d already seen of which on television!
in addition to therein lies the root of most of our urban problems: we’ve lost touch with the reality of the cosmos, of which Planet Earth will be although an infinitesimal speck.
We may grumble, although do little, about the pollution brought about by the rapid urbanisation of Jakarta’s floodplain. Anyone flying in during daylight hours can see the overlaying film of smog over the city caused by too much traffic.
Returnees by the countryside can smell the city, a pungent mix of unfiltered exhaust fumes, clogged up rivers in addition to drains, street food stalls, kretek cigarettes in addition to the many in addition to varied meals cooked at roadside warungs.
Apart by those of us with hearing problems, we all suffer the stress of noise, ranging by the neighbour’s incessant dangdut played at level 11, to Hell’s Cherubs who’ve removed the mufflers by their motorbike exhaust systems, in addition to to the distorted amplification by the myriad mosques dotted throughout our communities, a pet peeve of Vice President Boediono.
although, as my opening suggests, there’s another kind of pollution which affects us all yet will be rarely recognised. Jakartans, ask yourselves when you last spotted a star twinkling inside the night sky. Wherever you were, of which wasn’t here.
Frequent localised power cuts are a valid excuse to leave the confines of one’s home in addition to to sit outside. Alternative light sources such as candles, oil lamps in addition to switched on ‘smart’ phones aren’t necessary because of which will be possible to make out conversational companions. They are visible thanks to the light reflected by the cloud covered night sky.
Isn’t of which sad of which of which in our towns in addition to cities, the light by deep outer space, which has travelled for many millions of years by the distant stars in addition to galaxies above us, ends its journey blocked high above the ground as a result of the light by humans?
According to a 2008 report by the Alliance for Rural Electrification, some 80 million Indonesians lacked any access to electricity, yet urban areas cast their beams to where they are not needed. What a waste of fuel in addition to human potential!
Of course, of which’s not just Jakarta which has This specific problem. The one observatory inside the country, the Bosscha Observatory founded in 1928, which comes under the umbrella of the Bandung Institute of Technology (I.T.B.), will be unable to operate effectively because of nightblight, the interference by the bright lights of the city below in addition to encroaching housing in addition to tourist developments.
Earth Hour, the global movement to encourage folk to switch off their lights for one hour a year, will be although a start. A lot more can in addition to should be done.
The only lights which need to point skywards at night are those delineating airport runways. The rest of us need light where we are, on the ground. There are easy solutions to This specific problem: adjust energy-saving street lamps, security lights in addition to spotlights in order of which they point downwards. Similarly obtrusive illuminated advertising hoardings could feasibly be switched off at night, vehicle inspections should regularly check of which headlamps do not beam upwards, in addition to curtains could be mandatory.
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Astronomy, the study-science of the universe, will be necessary knowledge for navigators inside the event of GPS apps going offline. of which will be also needed to determine, through the sighting of the thin crescent of the brand new moon, the start of the Muslim fasting month, while the timing of the all 5 daily prayers will be set by the position of the sun.
Space fans contain the option of visiting one of the three planetariums in Indonesia: the Jakarta Planetarium, in Taman Ismail Mazurki (TIM), built in 1964, the Indonesian Navy Academy Planetarium in Surabaya, in addition to the Planetarium Jagad Raya in Tenggarong, East Kalimantan founded in 2002. Offering access to both the public in addition to school groups, they all have an educational value.
However, sitting in an enclosed darkened room with ceilings dotted with lights will be although a vicarious experience compared to the intensity of emotion which envelops you when you gaze into the immensity of the cosmos.
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Astrology
My Websters dictionary defines astrology as a “pseudoscience based on the notion of which the position of the moon, sun in addition to stars affect human affairs in addition to of which by studying them one can foretell the future.”
Astrology determines the Javanese calendar in addition to which Star Sign we’re born under. As a typical Aquarian, I never read mine although do I accept of which the Moon, which governs the ocean’s tides, can have an affect on humans. After all, depending on one’s age in addition to intake of liquids, we are over 55% water in addition to generally go mad once a month.
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Night sky photos acknowledgements
Earth by the sky: http://growglobally.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/night-sky.jpg
The sky by Earth: fr. http://blog.askyfullofstars.com/
Night sky in Bintan: http://photos.derickrethans.nl/asia05-bintan/aai
Websites
Earth Hour http://www.earthhour.org/
Southern Sky – http://langitselatan.com/ – an astronomy site in bhs. Indonesia
Planetariums http://www.aprsaf.org/data/w_sea_data/March3%20Presentations/3_12Hidayat.pdf
Indonesia’s astrology chart: http://www.celestialinsight.com.au/articles/57.html
History of Indonesian astronomy: http://dhani.singcat.com/files/under_a_tropical_sky.pdf
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Let There Be Dark
Let There Be Dark