Gunzburg/Imagined Sky, 9. At Night’s End

The light of the Milky Way in a dark night sky has been a common sight for all of human history. In the last one hundred years, astronomical research has revealed the position, past and future, of the earth and sun within that band of stars. Unfortunately, during that same time, urban lighting has rendered the Milky Way invisible to a growing fraction of the world’s population. In addition, many of the observatories that contributed to our understanding of our place in the Universe are threatened, if not rendered obsolete by these same city lights. This chapter considers how a number of local, city, and state governments in cooperation with organizations like the International Dark-Sky Association and the United States National Park Service are working to preserve the remaining dark, starry locations for the benefit of science, wildlife, natural resource conservation, economic considerations, and the health benefits and general aesthetic enjoyment of humanity.