CITIES WITH STARSLight pollution, while a testament to our technological advances, has blanketed our
CITIES WITH STARSLight pollution, while a testament to our technological advances, has blanketed our view of the universe and decoupled our relationship with the cosmos. For the billions of people living in areas where less than 20 stars can be seen in the night sky, it is practically impossible to imagine a natural sky blanketed with upwards of 2,500 stars backed by great ribbons of billions of stars which can be found in our Galaxy: The Milky Way.Just how different would our city skies look, if there was no artificial lighting?Thierry Cohen, a photographer from Paris has help curb our curiosity. Thierry travelled to areas where light pollution was minimal and that were on the same axis as big cities he had chosen. He then superimposed these images with the city landscape- creating what the city would look like without any electricity. The results are stunning.It’s hard not to wonder what the world would be like if we could see a brilliant dark sky every night. One could assume that it would affect our humility. Without the nightly reminder of a vast cosmos, it is easy to forget how small we are, how connected.In short, and in the words of Bill Watterson:“If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I’ll bet they’d live a lot differently. ”-JeanImages courtesy of Thierry CohenShown in the collage is :Top: San Francisco & Rio de JaneiroBottom: Paris & New YorkMore can be found here: http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/artscience/2013/03/darkened-cities -- source link
#light pollution#paris#photography#photographer#artist#science#milky way#stars#night sky#san francisco#dark sky