80% of the world's population can no longer see the Milky Way. What do we lose when we lose sight of the stars? Excessive and improper lighting robs us of our night skies, disrupts our sleep patterns and endangers nocturnal habitats. The current advances in LED technology have enabled several cities to safely light their streets and save energy without disrupting the nighttime environment. Saving the Dark explores the need to preserve dark night skies and what we can do to combat light pollution. Created in association with the International Dark-Sky Association.
Saving The Dark is a Documentary Movie on Astronomy and Light Pollution. It is about the significance of Astronomy and the night skies, effects of Light Pollution on Astronomy, human health, wildlife and beyond, what we can do to fight it.
The movie will show what the people in cities are missing out on, the importance of Astronomy in our lives, the impact Astronomy can have on children, how Light Pollution costs a lot of money, affects our health, wildlife and our environment, show the work of nonprofits fighting to preserve dark night skies, tell what people can do at home to fight Light Pollution and talk to cities that have successfully handled this issue.
Co-Sponsored by San Jose Astronomical Association.
Astronomy has been my passion for years. Photographing the night skies has been a way for me to express my passion towards Astronomy. Over the years, it has quite saddened me that we do not care enough about Astronomy or the night skies. Most people questioned whether these stars(in the photos) were real. So, I made a short film Lost in Light showing how light pollution affects the view of the night skies.
It was a huge success - featured on National Geographic, made the news in over 40 countries, seen over half a million times, used by NPS, schools and scout clubs for education and outreach and screened at film festivals. It spurred a conversation on Light Pollution, its effects and what we can do to fight it. When I attended the San Francisco Green Film Festival earlier this year, I realized how much people care about Environmental issues. I was inspired to make my own Documentary movie on Astronomy and Light Pollution. I wanted to make a movie on the significance of Astronomy and the night skies, the effects of Light Pollution on Astronomy, human health, wildlife and beyond, what we can do to fight it.
This is a non-profit movie, made only for educational purposes. I'm going to have this movie available to everyone to watch for free. It doesn't make sense to charge people when I want to create awareness. I do this out of my passion for Astronomy and the night skies and the drive to make people care more about it. I give my videos out for free for educational purposes. This project is funded by me, done solely on my personal time.