Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff production of iHeart Radio, Hey brain Stuff
Speaker 1: Lauren Bogelbaum. Here, tucked far away from any cities, the
Speaker 1: tiny island of Niue is blissfully free of the light
Speaker 1: pollution that plagues metro areas around the world. Nieue skies
Speaker 1: are so dark, in fact, that the entire country has
Speaker 1: been named an International Dark Sky Place. That designation comes
Speaker 1: courtesy of the International Dark Sky Association, a US based
Speaker 1: nonprofit organization with the mission of preserving dark skies and
Speaker 1: cutting down on light pollution. There are about a hundred
Speaker 1: and thirty certified dark sky parks, preserves, and communities around
Speaker 1: the world, from Death Valley National Park to the Nimidbrand
Speaker 1: Nature Reserve in Namibia to the town of Flagstaff, Arizona.
Speaker 1: But Niue is the first and so far only entire
Speaker 1: nation to receive this prized seal of approval from the Association.
Speaker 1: The recognition has made a celebrity of the one hundred
Speaker 1: square mile island that's about two hundred and six the
Speaker 1: square kilometers with a population of one thousand, six hundred,
Speaker 1: which is located roughly fifteen hundred miles or kilometers from
Speaker 1: New Zealand in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean.
Speaker 1: Niue is a self governing state, but it maintains a
Speaker 1: free association with New Zealand, which represents its tiny neighbor
Speaker 1: in many international affairs. Sheer remoteness alone contributes heavily to
Speaker 1: the island's dark environment, but according to the International Dark
Speaker 1: Sky Association's requirements, the villages commit to using artificial lighting
Speaker 1: that leaves the night sky unspoiled, unveiling the Milky Way,
Speaker 1: the Andromeda constellation, and other brilliant starry objects in their
Speaker 1: full glory. That meant retrofitting or replacing street lights and
Speaker 1: lights in private residences and businesses. Culturally, the dark Sky
Speaker 1: designation will help protect part of the island's heritage. For centuries,
Speaker 1: it's people have used the stars and lunar cycles for
Speaker 1: navigation on the seas. Niue is also home to a
Speaker 1: marine reserve and a forest conservation area, and the designation
Speaker 1: is more than symbolic. Although travel is limited at the
Speaker 1: time of this recording, headlines about the tiny country's accomplishment
Speaker 1: will likely boost future astrotaurism, as astronomers and nature lovers
Speaker 1: from around the world venture to the island to take
Speaker 1: guided tours of the best views of the pin pricked
Speaker 1: Tari black skies above. Thanks to its location, you can
Speaker 1: usually see the main southern dark sky objects like the
Speaker 1: Southern Cross, the large and small Magellanic clouds, and Omega centauri,
Speaker 1: as well as mid latitude constellations like Orion, Taurists, Gemini,
Speaker 1: and Cancer. And dark skies don't just make stars more
Speaker 1: visible at night, they also cut down on disruptions to
Speaker 1: wildlife and the ecosystem caused by light pollution. Some communities
Speaker 1: worry that altering street lights makes cities more vulnerable to crime,
Speaker 1: but multiple studies have failed to prove conclusively that enhanced
Speaker 1: street lighting deters crime, and in some cases, researchers found
Speaker 1: that bright lights actually made crime worse. Today's episode was
Speaker 1: written by Nathan Chandler and produced by Tyler Clang. For
Speaker 1: more in this and lots of other bright topics, is
Speaker 1: it how stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff is production
Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio,
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