In defense of darkness
5/20/202636 min
Megan Eaves-Egenes grew up under the very starry skies of rural New Mexico. During those years, she developed a deep appreciation for astronomy. The fascination is, of course, not hers alone. But, a starry sky requires one pretty important ingredient: darkness. One study recently reported that since 2011, the night sky has gotten brighter at about 10% per year. All that light pollution has brought dire consequences to life on planet earth. Crickets can’t tell whether it’s day or night, bird migrations have gone haywire, and our own natural alarm clocks are constantly confused. In a world where switching on a lamp during evening hours is, as Megan writes, “almost as basic as breathing” is there hope for our night skies? Or have we illuminated our way to a point of no return? Featuring Megan Eaves-Egenes. SUPPORT To share your questions and feedback with Outside/In, call the show’s hotline and leave us a voicemail. The number is 1-844-GO-OTTER. No question is too serious or too silly. Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Follow Outside/In on Instagram and BlueSky, or join our private discussion group on Facebook. LINKS You can order a copy of Megan’s book Nightfaring: In Search of the Disappearing Darkness on her website. Want to plan travel around dark sky locations? Dark Sky International offers a variety of guides and tips on how to visit darky sky locations responsibly. There are many popular stargazing apps. Megan uses SkyView, but also recommends Stellarium or SkySafari. Learn more about satellite’s role in light pollution from our 2024 episode, “The new space race.” Made nearly 10 years ago, here is our episode about light pollution emitted from a New Hampshire greenhouse. CREDITS Produced by Marina Henke. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsNate Heggie· Host0:01
From NHPR, this is Outside In. I'm Nate Heggie. When travel writer Megan Eaves Eganes was growing up in rural New Mexico, she had free rein. She'd play hide-and-go-seek in dried-out riverbeds or come up with elaborate make-believe games behind her house. But once the sun set, a pretty important rule kicked in.
Megan Eaves-Egenes· Guest0:21
During the day, you can go run around, do whatever you want, but at night we weren't allowed out at all.
Nate Heggie· Host0:26
It's not that Megan's parents were super strict. They were just very clear-eyed that if you're living in a remote place, it gets dark.
Megan Eaves-Egenes· Guest0:40
I don't think I was afraid, afraid of it, but I was certainly like, "I know why I'm not supposed to go outside." It wasn't the darkness that was the problem, really, or the fear.
Nate Heggie· Host0:50
We're talking no streetlights, no neighbors, just a single outdoor light attached to Megan's front door, which wasn't even turned on most of the time. With that darkness came danger.
Megan Eaves-Egenes· Guest1:03
That is the time when you would have scorpions and mountain lions and coyotes.
Nate Heggie· Host1:09
But to every rule there is an exception, and a few times a year, Megan's dad would wheel out a huge telescope and invite her outside. They'd look through the lens trying to see the moons of Saturn or catch a glimpse of a comet.
Megan Eaves-Egenes· Guest1:29
We saw,