Two unique "star reserves" were opened this year in Germany: Sternenpark in the vicinity of the town of Gülpe in the territory of the Westhafelland National Park and the Rön Biosphere Reserve, located on the border of Hesse, Bavaria and Thuringia. It offers stunning views of the starry sky, clean from smog and not "polluted" by artificial lighting from the Earth. There are 28 such zones in the world.
The breathtaking beauty of the night sky over Germany received international recognition this year from the International Dark-Sky Association. Sternenpark Westhavelland became the country's first official star reserve. The park occupies about 750 square kilometres and is located 70 kilometres west of Berlin, in the vicinity of the sparsely populated town of Gülpe — "the darkest place in Germany." He was awarded such an honour thanks to his unusually bright night sky, not "whitened" by artificial lighting.
You can see on it not only the constellations known to everyone but also the Milky Way, the fall of meteors, lunar landscapes, the atmosphere’s glow and even the northern lights, which are extremely rare in these latitudes and are perceived as something fantastic.
The second-star reserve in Germany was the Rhön Biosphere Reserve, which is located in the heart of the country - on the border of Hesse, Bavaria and Thuringia. By its beauty and showiness, its starry sky can be compared with night views of the Arctic, the lowest point in North America - the mysterious Death Valley in California, or the African Namib desert. In addition to Westhafelland Park and the Rhön Nature Reserve, several other areas claim the title of a “star reserve” in Germany: the Eifel National Park in North Rhine-Westphalia, the Swabian Alb massif in the south of the country and the St. Andreasberg Nature Observatory in the Harz region.
Astronomers and environmentalists are sounding the alarm: a clear starry sky today is not an accessible picture of the universe, but a real luxury. Due to constant lighting in many densely populated regions, there is no longer deep darkness, they all seem to be under a light cover. Street lighting, billboards, spotlights - all this violates the peace of the night and is the main cause of light pollution. Every year the number of stars that are visible in the sky is significantly reduced, so the areas where the night sky and bright stars appear in all its glory, receive the status of specially protected.
According to the World Atlas of artificial brightness of the night sky, about 66 per cent of the world population now lives in regions with noticeable light pollution, and one-fifth of it has not been able to observe the Milky Way without a telescope for more than ten years. Researchers and doctors warn about the consequences of such changes for humans. For example, chronobiologists from the Institute of Physiology of Labor. Leibniz in Dortmund found that constant nighttime illumination has a negative effect on the human hormonal apparatus, its biological rhythms, and the phase of body regeneration at night.
Since 1988, the International Dark-Sky Association has been dealing with the problems of efficient energy consumption and the fight against light pollution on a global scale. Her classification of night conservation zones consists of several “certificates”: “gold”, “silver” and “bronze” — depending on the depth of the night sky, a review of natural phenomena and celestial bodies, as well as the quality of measures to protect these regions. Both German reserves were awarded silver certificates for these indicators. Today in the world there are 28 protected regions with an exceptional panorama of the starry sky. Among them are nine natural parks in the USA, the Chilean Andes, the Mont Megantic National Park in Canada, several regions in Australia and New Zealand, and night sky parks in the UK, France and Hungary.
The authors of the idea of assigning reserve status to German parks also advocate for the reasonable consumption of electricity and limit its use in protected areas: there is no street lighting, you cannot use flashlights, and there can be no talk of a car. Also, the authors hope that the success of the project will attract new guests to the regions who want to relax from the bustle of the city and watch the night sky. Indeed, "astrotourism" is already gaining momentum. Interesting excursions and thematic meetings await those who wish to view the starry sky without a telescope and enjoy night landscapes: “Walk along the Milky Way”, “Night voices”, “Star legends and stories”, “Romantic walk under the moon”, “Astronomy day” and much more.
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