The Grief Triggered by Diminishing Dark Skies: Introducing the Term ‘Noctalgia’ by Astronomers

Humanity is facing a loss of access to the evening sky, which has led astronomers to make a new term named “noctalgia,” which means “sky grief.” This loss is a outcome of light pollution, brought on by our pollution of air and water and the excessive quantity of carbon we are emitting into the atmosphere. Light pollution has dangerous effects, prompting astronomers to coin the term “noctalgia” to bring consideration to this problem and drive efforts towards combating it. “Noctalgia” embodies the collective discomfort felt as we continue to shed the potential to see the evening sky.

Thankfully, there are methods to address noctalgia, related to how we can tackle climate alter. Many efforts have emerged worldwide to establish dark-sky reserves, exactly where regional communities commit to not expand additional with light pollution. Having said that, addressing light pollution brought on by satellites calls for international cooperation and stress on providers like SpaceX to be far more accountable in their use of the sky. This collaborative work is essential to preserve the evening sky for future generations.