One of the things I’ve learned through dark sky advocacy is that protecting darkness is rarely just about astronomy. It’s about challenging long-held assumptions that brighter always means better, safer or more successful.
When this Sydney Morning Herald piece was published, what struck me most was how strongly the conversation resonated beyond the astronomy community. People began reflecting on their own relationship with light — sleeplessness, loss of stars, impacts on wildlife, over-illumination in cities, and the growing feeling that we are losing genuine experiences of night altogether.
Dark sky work often involves navigating competing priorities: development, advertising, safety concerns, tourism, councils, community expectations and environmental outcomes. Change is rarely straightforward. But what continues to give me hope is seeing more people realise that darkness itself has value.
Not as the absence of something — but as an environmental and cultural resource worth protecting.
