This year’s International Dark Sky Week stretches April 19–26. It will not only be a good week to go stargazing, but also a good time to learn more about the impacts of light pollution. From health and environmental problems to creating detriments to security and safety, improper and excessive lighting impacts more than just what we see when we look up.
Nevertheless, its impact is readily apparent here in the Coachella Valley. For example, the Beehive Cluster is visible to the naked eye high in the western sky in the evenings of late April, but light pollution obscures it.
Each month, Rancho Mirage Library and Observatory astronomer Eric McLaughlin spotlights a notable celestial event. For information about the observatory, visit ranchomiragelibrary.org.
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