Dark Skies and Light Pollution: An Art-Historical Approach

Abstract

The sight of vast numbers of stars is becoming increasingly obstructed from view for most of humanity by increasing light pollution in the ‘civilised’ world. From the ancient Greeks and medieval Europe to the industrial age and our own times, the sight and contemplation of stars, planets and galaxies have inspired religions and philosophies, as well as traditional myths and stories. Understanding the complexities of the universe led to the development of scientific theories, yet it is science and its effects on pollution and climate change that now seem to be removing from sight the astronomical phenomena that surround us. Consideration of visual images of the dark sky over time is an essential backstory to the movement to protect the Dark Sky from obliteration. Ancient and traditional depictions of heaven and the night sky (particularly of the Milky Way) will be examined to provide a context for the fascination with the night sky in relation to problems of ever-increasing light pollution.1