Losing the Sky – The Sky Tonight

It’s the first week of the month. You know what that means… it’s time for The Sky Tonight!

The Sky Tonight

The Sky Tonight is held in person at the Fleet Science Center the first Wednesday night of every month and the second Sunday in the Heikoff Giant Dome Theater in Balboa Park. And if you can’t join us in person, join us for The Sky Tonight: Virtual Edition on the third Wednesday at 7 PM. We’ll make sure you see all the same beautiful images as the audience under the dome. And the virtual shows are pay-as-you-wish! From free to $20, with any amount going to support events like these. Just make sure you register in advance so you can receive the Zoom link.

The Sky Tonight show takes the audience on a tour of the night sky, and then we focus on a specific topic. This month, we’ll discuss how we are in danger of losing our sky.

What will you see?

After a sky tour, we’ll explore the topics of light pollution and satellite megaconstellations. Light pollution is the term describing how the light generated by humans affects the brightness on the sky. The impact on astronomy is huge, making it much more difficult to see faint objects from the ground.  Light pollution also has environmental impacts, such as excess energy usage and altering migratory patterns of animals.

The launch of satellite megaconstellations is further changing our skies. Many streaks of light you see at night now are satellites in low-Earth orbit. Because the sky and Earth orbit are not considered environments subject to environmental regulations and protections, thousands of satellites have been launched without assessing the alterations they cause.

After these shows, the audience (you!) will have an increased appreciation for our sky as an extension of our environment.

Hopefully we’ll see you soon at The Sky Tonight and other events at the Fleet Science Center.

Wishing you clear skies!

If you’re interested, check out more of our Sky Tonight shows here.