The night sky has always fascinated mankind with its twinkling stars and celestial wonders. In the modern world, however, light pollution obscures much of the true beauty of the cosmos. Even in rural areas, the glow of streetlights and other artificial light sources don’t allow us to experience the complete darkness of the night sky. But just how dark is the night sky? Are there places on Earth where we can truly observe the wonders of the universe?
Light pollution and its effects
The problem of light pollution is becoming more and more prevalent in cities and suburbs. The overuse of bluish-white LEDs in streetlights and outdoor lighting results in a background glow that masks the natural darkness of the night sky. As a result, only a quarter of children in North America and Europe have the opportunity to view the awe-inspiring sight of the Milky Way.
The Andes Desert: A Window to Darkness
To escape the clutches of light pollution, one must travel to remote corners of the planet. One such place is the Andes Desert in Chile, home to some of the most advanced observatories on Earth. Here, under a moonless night sky, you can observe the darkest sky known to mankind. The lack of artificial light provides a spectacular view of the Milky Way with its sea of stars and shadowy constellations. In this unique setting, even the Milky Way itself casts a faint shadow when the eyes have fully adapted to the darkness.
Limitations of terrestrial observatories
Despite the relative darkness of places like the Andes Desert, terrestrial observatories still face challenges from atmospheric interference. The faint glow emitted by our atmosphere, caused by ultraviolet sunlight and cosmic rays, limits the telescopes’ capabilities. To overcome this obstacle, scientists have turned their eyes toward space.
Telescopes in space: Hubble and Webb
The Hubble Space Telescope and its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, provide clear views of the sky without interference from Earth’s atmosphere. These remarkable instruments have produced stunning images of distant galaxies and celestial phenomena. Even in space, however, the true darkness of the night sky eludes us.
Sunshine and zodiacal light
In space, telescopes continue to encounter sunshine, a phenomenon caused by the scattering of light on dust particles in our solar system. This dust-scattered glow, known as the zodiacal light, is visible from both Earth and space. Although it appears faint to our eye, it remains an obstacle to perceiving the absolute darkness of space.
Traveling beyond the solar system
To truly see the darkest skies, one must travel beyond the dust-filled regions of our solar system. Voyagers I and II, as well as Pioneers 10 and 11, have reached the farthest reaches of our solar system. Although communication with the Pioneers has been lost, the Voyagers continue to transmit valuable data. However, their distance from Earth prevents them from obtaining detailed images of the night sky.
New Horizons: A Glimpse into the Darkness
The New Horizons spacecraft, which flew past Pluto and Arrokot, is now twice as far from the Sun. Its cameras continue to work, providing a unique opportunity to study the darkness of the universe. Recently, the New Horizons team pointed its cameras away from the Milky Way, the Sun and bright stars to measure the amount of light. Comparing these measurements with data from Hubble’s observation of the dark sky showed the expected decrease in brightness. However, a faint glow that astronomers cannot explain remained.
Unraveling the mysterious background glow
In their search for knowledge, the New Horizons team plans to observe 15 more dark places in the coming month. They hope to see the true darkness of space or to gain a deeper understanding of the mysterious background glow. By calculating the expected background glow of distant galaxies since the Big Bang, New Horizons has measured twice as much light. These upcoming observations could provide valuable clues about the nature of this mysterious glow and shed light on the darkest corners of our Universe.
As we strive to unlock the secrets of the universe, the true darkness of the night sky remains an elusive phenomenon. Light pollution continues to prevent us from experiencing the full majesty of the cosmos. However, thanks to research such as the New Horizons spacecraft mission, we are getting closer to unraveling the mysteries hidden in the darkest sky. Perhaps in our search for darkness, we will eventually find light.
