Review: ‘Dark Skies’ By Anna Levin

Over the past century, something precious has begun to quietly disappear: the awesome spectacle of the night sky. Light pollution, however, creates more than just an aesthetic impact. It also affects animals, plants, people, and our society. In the lyrical, meditative Dark Skies, Anna Levin celebrates the world of the dark that our modern zeal for artificial lighting has rendered almost invisible.

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Dark Skies is part of Saraband’s “In the Moment” series of pocket-sized books that celebrate “being fully present in our activities and environment.” It is a companion to Levin’s 2019 book, Incandescent: We Need to Talk about Light.

The author is a former section editor with BBC Wildlife who now focuses on science communication, and the dramatic flair of her television career is evident here. In Levin’s poetic world, the sun does not simply rise and set; instead: “From the blush of dawn to the clear, bright light of morning it builds in a crescendo to midday, then softens again and warms before it fades. Night comes in incremental stages, with dusk deepening into rich blackness and then the darkness easing and ceding to dawn.”

Dark Skies consists mainly of a series of personal vignettes about the author’s experience in seeking out the dark. These trace her first introduction to the world of dark sky appreciation as a girl guide in Lancashire, followed by a revelation during a visit to New Zealand, and the glory of her first aurora sighting in Scotland. They take her to conferences around the world, on night paddling expeditions, and to darkness sanctuaries in remote locations. 

Within these vignettes, the reader absorbs a considerable amount of scientific information without even realizing it; there are relatively few numbers and statistics to wow us, but many striking facts about the interaction of artificial light with our history, our art, and the natural world.

The book begins with an examination of the relatively new phenomenon of artificial light at night (which the author later personifies as ALAN, smug and swaggering) and its counterpart, darkness at night (also known as DAN, ALAN’s older and wiser brother). She investigates the origins of constellations, explains how humans can actually see in the dark much better than we suppose, and looks at darkness from a variety of perspectives. These include the wealth of famous poets who have written about darkness; the beauty of water and waterfowl at night; and a local battle against artificial streetlights in Edinborough. “We have grossly underestimated the power and importance of light and its essential dance with darkness,” she says.

A fascinating section is the link between light and creativity, seen through the author’s own relationship with writing and darkness. According to chronobiologists, she explains, being a night owl or a morning lark is an intrinsic part of your genetic makeup. As such, “[h]ow you feel in the morning is not a choice or a morality signifier, but written in your chromosomes.”

It is also sobering to understand how little the impact of light is understood when it comes to the animal world. Many animals refer to the night sky in its untainted form for life processes such as reproduction and migration. Birds, seals and even dung beetles navigate using reference points such as the North Star or the Milky Way. Surprisingly, the impact of ALAN can be observed underwater, both in the ocean and in tiny ponds. Artificial light during the night hours impacts animals like frogs, turtles, corals, zooplankton, squid, and fireflies, including phases of the moon, which matter to many species.

More on the topic: Chasing Stars in Neon Skies: Light Pollution and Its Impacts

Not only the presence or absence of light is important, Levin explains, but also its quality – artificial or natural. She deplores wrong-headed efforts such as blazing streetlights that are described as “natural” because their color temperature is 4000K, “like moonlight.” In fact, she implores the Edinborough City Council, “You have misunderstood the moon.” This leads to a discussion of how light is emitted and measured (it’s far more complicated than you think).

The author points out that today, little regulation exists against light pollution, although there are some signs of progress in places as diverse as Slovenia, Italy, and Chile. However, there is even less regulation of an important new threat to darkness: satellites. Following the 2019 launch of Starlink, numbers began to rise dramatically. By 2023, there were about 9,000 active satellites in the sky and, according to DarkSky International, 100,000 more are now planned – threatening to increase sky brightness by as much as 10%. 

On the other hand, there is a burgeoning movement to protect darkness and to better understand its importance, and the book introduces a number of these. Dark Sky in Ireland includes not only stargazing and meteor walks but also activities like live storytelling in the dark. Protected areas such as Dark Sky Places or a new Dark Sky Sanctuary seek to preserve darkness for scientific reasons but also for public appreciation. Namibia is taking advantage of its relative darkness to attract “astrotourists”, while the Island of Sark (in the Channel Islands) is the world’s first designated dark sky island.

The book ends with a list of useful tips for experiencing dark skies and enjoying the dark: “take your time” and “lie down to look up”. There are also suggestions for how to become active in this new space, with a handful of references for those interested in pursuing the topic further. It is clear that there is a great deal yet to be explored.

Meanwhile, the glow from Las Vegas can be seen in the sky from 150 miles away.

Dark Skies
Anna Levin
2024, Saraband, 152pp

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