Saving the Darkness: How to Put a Dimmer on Light Pollution and Bring Back the Night Sky
Presented by SERC, the Earth Optimism Evening Lecture Series‘ next presentation is Tuesday, Feb. 21, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
How many stars can you see from your home? For many Americans, the answer is only a handful. Our ancestors once saw thousands. The growing flood of artificial light pollution, and disappearance of our night skies, are taking a toll on people and animals. But there are ways to combat it.
Kelsey Johnson, University of Virginia astronomer and creator of the “Dark Skies, Bright Kids” program, has devoted her career to understanding the stars and preserving their beauty for future generations. In our February Earth Optimism lecture, she’ll reveal some of the surprising costs our 24-hour illumination takes on nature—and some surprisingly easy ways to fix it.
This webinar will be recorded. Closed captions will be available during the live event and on the recording. By signing up on Zoom, you’ll be able to watch live and receive a link to the recording approximately one week after the live event.
Advance Registration is required: Webinar Registration – Zoom
View more past and upcoming Earth Optimism webinars
About the Speaker
Kelsey Johnson, University of Virginia. Kelsey Johnson teaches both inside and outside of the classroom, using astronomy as a gateway science to nurture curiosity and support science literacy. As a child, Johnson spent countless nights outside under the stars, where she developed a love for “big picture” questions about the nature of reality and the universe. She is a professor at the UVA and founding director of the award-winning Dark Skies Bright Kids program. She has won numerous awards for her research, teaching, and promotion of science literacy. Her TED talk on the importance of dark skies has more than 2m views, and her writing has appeared in nationwide publications, including the NYT, Scientific American, and WaPo. Her children’s book Constellations for Kids in consistently in the top 10 children’s astronomy books. Johnson is the past president of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, and president-elect of the American Astronomical Society. She earned her BA in physics from Carleton College, and her MS and PhD in astrophysics from the University of Colorado. She lives in rural Virginia with her family, including three cats and two very large dogs.
For further information on this message, contact Alison Cawood or Shelby Brown, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, cawood@si.edu or brownsh@si.edu
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Posted: 16 February 2023
