Light pollution threatens the study of stars

Light pollution threatens the study of stars
Star trail, the movement of the stars across the sky over a period of time, clicked by astronomy expert Akshit Khunger on a hill near Ranikhet, Uttarakhand.
By ARADHAYA SEHGAL

CHANDIGARH: Pollution has been a menace for a long time now. However, all types of pollution are not entirely known to the public, one of which is light pollution. An astronomy expert, Akshit Khunger, was on a hill in Uttarakhand to observe a yearly meteor shower called the Geminids.
“Light pollution is when, due to the enormous number of lights lit up on the ground, the stars are not visible in the density that is actually present in the night sky at the given time. Light pollution can possibly kill one of the oldest sciences that we have in the world - Astronomy - explained the astronomer, who along with a friend has started a venture called Astrofanatics. It is an initiative for those who wish to learn the dynamics of astrophotography along with the science behind those umpteen celestial objects in space.
On being asked for suggestions to curtail this pollution, he proposed, “The usage of lights in households and otherwise should be reduced to necessity as much as possible after sunset. Excess lightening can also be cut down by dimming the street lights, which will serve both the purposes of keeping the streets safe for travel and helping budding and professional astrophotographers to capture the sky.”
“Approximately, 95-96% of disturbance in stargazing, the main exercise of astronomy, is caused due to light pollution and the rest by air pollution, as noticed during our expeditions over the years,” said the 23-year-old, when asked about the major constraints at the fieldwork in his profession.
“The smog in areas like Delhi-NCR is the reason behind not being able to see the bright sky, causing people interested in this science to move to places with lesser AQI, while also keeping in mind the lower density of lights lit up during the night,” he added.
Akshit went on to explain the Geminids meteor shower which was to occur on the night of 13 December, for which he and the co-founder, Tushar Goyal, took up astronomy sessions at a resort at Ranikhet, which was their gazing site.

Star trail, the movement of the stars across the sky over a period of time, clicked by astronomy expert Akshit Khunger on a hill near Ranikhet, Uttarakhand.

“Geminids is one of the best meteor showers of this year because it has coincided with the New moon this time, which means, the sky will be cleared of the light pollution caused by the moon, giving the finest view that one can have of the sky,” Akshit said, sparking an excited chatter amongst the participants, who gathered from all over India, to witness the shower through the trip organised by the Astrofanatics team.

He responded to their enthusiasm by recalling the progress of the organisation, “We are gaining an audience already and it’s going on as well as a start-up should.” He also added that the objective behind Astrofanatics is, “Our primary focus is to educate people on the practical, intriguing side of this age-old concept rather than the theory they might have studied till now.”

(The story first appeared in The Times of Bennett, the lab newspaper produced by the first semester students of The Times School of Media.)
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