Light pollution

Recently, I saw the night sky over Africa on TV. It was a time lapse film, which had been sped up to show the stars moving across the horizon. I was struck by how many more stars are visible over a relatively undeveloped area. Here on Ocracoke, the night sky is often breathtaking. The fact that I can see so many more stars here than I could when I lived on the mainland is one of the reasons I adore making my home here. Most nights, before going to bed, I step outside and look up - on clear nights, I am rewarded by a lovely view. But as gorgeous as the night sky is here, seeing the sky over Africa made me realize the impact of light pollution. Even here, where there isn't much light to affect the view, there is more than they have in Gabon. I don't think I'll move to Gabon, though!