When we were at Bryce Canyon, the park rangers put on a presentation of star gazing at night in the
park. Leading up to the telescope viewing was an indoor slide show. They had several slides to show
how the light pollution has been working its way across the western US from California. I'd never
thought of it, but that show made a big impression.
I have been vacationing in the west for about 10 years and when you
actually get some place where it is dark, you really appreciating how
badly we have polluted the night sky.
Most of the kids today have never actually seen stars.
It is virtually impossible to make out most of the constellations if
you are anywhere near a city. That has now become a problem out in the
country too. It just doesn't get dark anymore.
That was one of the points the ranger made - most kids have never seen the Milky Way. At Bryce, that
night, the Milky Way was very visible. I don't think I'd seen it for years and years, probably not
since leaving the farm in southern Minnesota.