Film makes case for saving dark sky

Jim Hammond

The night sky over Sisters is an increasingly rare — and fragile —treasure.

Among the many benefits of living in Central Oregon is the ability to go places where the night sky can be observed with relatively little interference from light pollution.

Sisters Astronomy Club, a committee of Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD), regularly presents “Stars over Sisters” events to which the public is invited to view the night sky during the warmer times of the year. Sisters Astronomy Club also presents “Star Parties” at Deschutes Land Trust (DLT) preserves such as Rimrock Ranch and Whychus Canyon Preserve. Even though the night sky is quite spectacular from the Rimrock Ranch location we can look around the horizon from northwest to southwest and see so-called “light domes” over Portland, Madras, Redmond, Bend and Sisters.

Sisters Astronomy Club has promoted the goal of keeping our night skies dark through presentations at club meetings, displays at Sisters Science Fairs and members’ activities in connection with the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA).

Recently, an Oregon Chapter of the IDA (IDA Oregon) was established and there are many active members of IDA Oregon in Central Oregon. The mission statement of IDA Oregon states: “Our mission is to preserve Oregon’s magnificent dark skies and to diminish light pollution for the health, safety, and well-being of all life.”

SAC has joined with IDA Oregon to present a public viewing of an award-winning documentary, “Saving the Dark,” directed by Sriram Murali.

The film’s producers say, “The night skies remind us of our place in this Universe. The Universe gives us identity, makes us feel a connection. It gives us perspective. Astronomy has inspired countless minds in our history. What do we lose when we lose sight of the stars? Excessive and improper lighting robs us of our night skies, disrupts our sleep patterns and endangers nocturnal habitats. ‘Saving the Dark’ explores the need to preserve night skies and what we can do to combat light pollution.”

Saving the Dark will be shown at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 9, at the Sisters Library Meeting Room (110 N. Cedar St.). The film is suitable for all ages and there is no charge for the program.

You can view a trailer for the film at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lfv0kO19vu8.

For more information about IDA and IDA Oregon visit www.darkskyoregon.org.

Sisters Astronomy Club’s Facebook page is www.facebook.com/sistersastronomy. For more information contact [email protected]