“Less is more” and “quality over quantity” are two phrases that come to mind when I hear people knocking Oklahoma in favor of more populous states. (Or eastern Oklahoma over western Oklahoma, Lawton over Altus, or Mangum over Granite-the comparisons are nearly endless). One huge benefit I see that smaller towns have over large cities is fewer streetlights.
I can hear the arguments now “less street lights are a good thing?” It is if you like to sky watch. The more streetlights you have, the more smaller stars are drowned out in a sea of light pollution. The fewer the streetlights the more people are astounded by just how many stars there really are! After a summer evening that is a “new moon” night (when the moon seems to have disap peared, but it is just in the Earth’s shadow) campers will visit the nature center exclaiming over “how many more stars you have here over the night sky of Dallas or Oklahoma City”. I always tell them “we don’t have more stars, we have fewer streetlights”.
The “darkness” of our night skies is something most people like to embrace, to enjoy. It allows us to experience just how huge, the universe is. That “darkness” can also reconnect us with our past. Our ancestors would sky watch and tell stories about the stars that would have a moral or a lesson that they felt should be “passed on” to the next generation.
This coming weekend, is a new moon weekend. The moon will again be in the earth’s shadow and not washing out the fainter stars. Friday is the true new moon, however any night from Tuesday (13th) to Monday (19th) will have limited moon interference. Why not plan on doing some sky watching, away from the city lights and see if you agree that “less is more” and “quality over quantity”?