Twinkle, twinkle, many stars
NIUE, a small island nation in the middle of the Pacific Ocean known for its outstanding stargazing conditions, has become the world’s first entire country to be designated a Dark Sky Place.
As the planet becomes more populous and cities grow bigger and brighter, the increasingly fewer sites for good stargazing have become a global industry in recent years.
A Dark Sky Place is a designated space for the conservation and promotion of night sky, encouraging communities and parks to better protect sites from unnatural and artificial lights.
There are more than 120 certified international dark sky places in the world, but none of those were country.
”Niue is the world’s first country to become an official Dark Sky Place!” the country’s tourism department said.
The International Dark-sky
Association (IDA) formally accredited over the weekend the island’s application for the protection of its sky, land and sea, covering the whole country with “Dark Sky” protection and recognition and deeming it a “dark sky nation.”
The group, formed in 2001, promotes organizations, people, communities, and destinations working to protect dark skies.
Niue, a large upraised coral atoll, has a population of just 1,500 and lies 2,400 kilometres northeast of New Zealand. It is one of the world’s smallest nations.
Felicity Bollen, chief executive of Niue Tourism said in a statement, the stars and night sky have a huge significance to the Niuean way of life, from a cultural, environmental and health perspective.
”Niueans have a long history of star navigation and a life regulated by lunar cycles and star positions,” said Richard Somervilleryan, who along with his wife, Gendie, was responsible for Niue’s application. The couple previously carried out a successful bid for New Zealand’s Great Barrier Island to become a Dark Sky Sanctuary.
Misa Kalutea, a Niuean elder and a cultural guardian, said Niue’s skies have been observed and appreciated for centuries.
”The dark sky nation status adds new emphasis to the importance of our traditional knowledge, providing a reason for the retelling and sharing of this knowledge before it is lost,” she said.
Niue is isolated, accessible via twice-weekly flights from Auckland, New Zealand.
Bollen said visitors can view “the spectacle of an unspoilt night sky in our temperate tropical climate, with guided Astro-tours led by trained Niuean community members.”
Demand for astro tourism experiences has grown worldwide in recent years, with adventurers seeking better access to an unpolluted view of the panoramas and the stars, while the numbers hunting auroras and eclipses is also on the rise.
The famous Lonely Planets guidebook has recognised visiting dark sky places as one of the top ten travel trends this year.
Research by the Light Pollution Science and Technology Institute says 80% of the Earth’s land area suffers from light pollution. – dpa