It’s that time of year again. The days are getting darker and shorter. The moods are getting heavier. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel – Christmas. And like every year it’s promising to get even brighter and more colourful than last year. To make this clear, I do like Christmas …
It’s autumn time. Millions of birds meet in the sky for their journey to the South. For many of them it’s their first journey to a place they have never seen before. For many it will be their last. Because this journey is full of danger. Mortal dangers. The first problem is the simple fact …
During the last weeks, there was basically one topic in terms of environment: climate change. The discussion is very much focused on Greta Thunberg, Fridays for Future, and Extinction Rebellion, and the question is much more, who is paying or manipulating them and if students are actually qualified to discuss something so complex as climate …
If you have a garden, and if you care for the environment, you have probably planted native flowers, created hiding places for all sorts of critters, don’t use pesticides, and much more. There are many thing we can do to create a little but valuable refuge in our backyard, and the number of environmentally aware …
Sleep usually happens at night. For our ancestors, there were very practical reasons for this. Artificial light was expensive, high maintenance, and not without danger. Also, it was too dim for most kinds of work. Then Thomas Edison made electrical light affordable for daily use – and it was possible to work all night too. …
Where do you look when you’re out and about after dark? The street? The shopping windows? Your smartphone? Or up to the sky? Probably not the latter. I can fully understand that when you’re in a big city, because, let’s be honest, there isn’t much to look at. You might see the moon, Venus, a …
I’m quite picky with books these days. Time is precious, and there are so many average books in the shops that opening a new one often is a frustrating business. Then I found Under a Dark Sky by Lori Rader-Day – and couldn’t put it down. I didn’t choose the book because of the many good …
Please read the petition by Sibylle Schroer from Stars For All. She suggests to limit light emissions to sensible levels and conduct more research on light levels used in outdoor settings. Here is the full petition, if you like to sign, here is the link to the EU petition. Here is a short article about …
It’s always easy to complain if something is bad. However, there is only useful change when someone also has ideas how to make it better. Many communities want to have street lighting that combines cost efficiency, safety, climate protection, and comfortable light. But the actual outcomes of new street lightings are mostly quite sober. Last …
Five o’clock in the morning. Lake Stechlin is dark and silent. Only a few lights are moving at the Old Fisherhut. The LakeLab scientists are getting ready to work. We get into the boats, switch off our lights, and drive out onto the lake. After a few moments the eerie glow of the LakeLab becomes …