It is 5:34am on Thursday morning, the 3rd of October, and last night, I went to a public lecture at the Braggs Lecture Theatre at Adelaide Uni. The speaker was Kelly Clitheroe, the Section Director for the Geelong branch of the Astronomical Society of Victoria. Kelly gave a talk called “Dark Skies: A Practical Approach,” and it was all about light pollution. I liked her—she was passionate about the issue and knew a lot about it. But it raised a number of philosophical questions about light.
I love astronomy and am interested in everything to do with the universe, but I don't own a telescope or even binoculars yet. That is something I want to change, and when I have enough money to buy either, I certainly will. I still observe the stars without any tools, and sometimes, when I get a chance, I look through someone else's telescope. So I guess you wouldn't say I am an active astronomer—maybe passive. But I still appreciate the dark sky and think light pollution sucks when you are trying to observe the stars.
I have heard other astronomers talk about light pollution and the need to reduce it. I've also heard people celebrate the fact that we have a dark sky reserve here in South Australia, where there are rules about how much light can be used within it. But last night's talk wasn't just about the need to reduce light pollution to observe the stars—it was about the need to reduce light pollution for other reasons. These included wasting renewable energy, human health, crime rates, preservation of culture, and animal health.
To give you an example of what I mean, Kelly talked about how light has detrimental effects on all of these things and more. In relation to human health, she said that blue light has been linked to breast cancer, and light has been linked to obesity, sleep disorders, mental health issues, and disability glare. It also affects circadian rhythm and melatonin production. I can vouch for the last one—I know light has a lot to do with sleep and circadian rhythm from my experience with delayed sleep phase disorder.
The other point I found interesting was crime. She talked about how crimes like vandalism thrive in nighttime lighting. She also mentioned that lighting an area not meant for nighttime use could give users a false sense of security. Interestingly, Kelly said there is an association between brightly lit alleyways and increased crime. Her take was that light makes victims and property easy to see. She lobbies politicians about these issues, and I could see that it all made sense. If everything she mentioned is true, someone should do something about it.
However, I couldn't help but think to myself that the reason she wants a reduction in light pollution is so that she can see the stars. A lot of astronomers feel that way. I think bringing in all these other factors—like human and animal health, as well as crime rates—confuses the message. Are you crusading to end the health issues associated with artificial light? Or are you campaigning to save animals, particularly nocturnal ones?
Or do you want people to turn off streetlights in an attempt to curb criminal activity? Why not just say what you are and what you mean: “I am an astronomer, and I want to see the stars. Artificial light hinders that process.” All the other stuff means nothing unless you have been directly affected by it. You're making it about something it's not.
Don't get me wrong—I really liked Kelly. But it felt like she was saying all light is bad. Light is a beautiful thing, and as a woman, I would feel much safer walking down a well-lit street at night than a completely dark one.
The Last Sky was made and directed by Lebanese-Australian lawyer Nicholas Hanna and filmed in Lebanon and Occupied Palestine. It focused largely on the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon but also touched on Gaza. While watching the movie, I sat there in disbelief. After Nick pointed out that what Hamas did in Israel on the 7th of October last year was proven to be true, he painted both Hamas and Hezbollah in a positive light. I kept thinking about how my poor deceased father would have reacted if he had known I went to see a movie like this.
After the movie ended, someone yelled out "Allahu Akbar," and people clapped. For a split second, I thought someone was going to blow the place up. There was a panel discussion with the director and a lawyer, Mr. Paul Heywood-Smith SC, and though I wanted to leave, curiosity got the better of me. Mr. Heywood-Smith made it clear that he did not condone the actions of Hamas or Hezbollah. I later learned that he had written a book titled The Case for Palestine: The Perspective of an Australian Observer, published by Wakefield Press in 2014, which I am now interested in reading.
As for Nick Hanna, a young woman raised her hand and mentioned that he had portrayed Hezbollah in a positive light, then went on to outline some of their human rights abuses. I can't recall everything he said in response, but he corrected her, saying she had some facts wrong. I forget what he said about Hezbollah, and to be honest, much of the movie is now a blur. What I do know is that every time I think I have a certain degree of clarity about the world and its people, I learn that, at 43, I am still naïve.
My mum has made the odd joke about how I once sent my best wishes to the Taliban, and while that might be funny in a way, I found nothing amusing about being in this cinema with those people last Wednesday night. I am concerned that there are people in Adelaide who appear to support terrorist organisations.
I had a meeting with the woman I report to in the human rights organisation I’m involved with, and she asked me about the movie. I told her how it appeared to support Hamas and Hezbollah. I then made it clear that I support the people of Palestine and will continue to do so—without supporting terrorists.
I’m in love with Gawler, so it’s a pleasure to go there. My pot looks incredibly amateur and juvenile, but I’m proud of it because it’s my first mosaicked piece. Hopefully, it will be the first of many. I used ceramic tiles for this pot, but from now on, I’m going to work with glass.
Below, you can see the finished product. As I said, I know it’s not perfect, but hopefully, you can see the potential for future work.
