Clear, Dark Skies Are Disappearing In The U.S. — Except Rural Idaho

Dark skies are disappearing across the United States.

Today, more than 80 percent of Americans can't see the Milky Way from their home cities. But deep in rural Idaho, the skies are alive.

The International Dark-Sky Association has named nearly a million acres in central Idaho a Dark Sky Reserve, a designation that means counties and towns in the area pledge to take measures to keep the dark, well, dark.

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[VICENews]

Today, more than 80 percent of Americans can't see the Milky Way from their home cities. But deep in rural Idaho, the skies are alive.

[justachipn]

Im 64... and sadly I've watched the stars disappear... when I was a kid sleeping out watching the stars was soo much fun and finding a satellite was the prize :)

[mzahs]

never heard of rurual, Idaho! must be a small town in one of the RURAL parts of the state.

[GardenerEarthGuy]

I lived in Modoc County, California where we had clean sky. I'd go to sleep looking at the Milky Way every night.
Very few people have seen the sky, it's sad.

[HiAdrian]

Thought I recognized this video. It aired on HBO over 2 years ago!

[yourfriendlyneighborhoodla]

So in order to keep the night sky, people must change to specific lightbulbs that reduce not only light pollution but also have the added benefit of energy conservation.... interesting

[Pdawg]

Anyone else fell somewhat let down they didn't show what they were looking at in the telescope and the sky at the end.

[Vickygrl]

Wow!! My daughter just asked, why can't we see the stars anymore. I have never heard of this. I miss seeing the stars.

[rodriguezro]

I'm a dark sky chaser photographer. Next stop, Idaho.

[alex]

Watching the sky with all the stars is beautiful. Sadly not many get to see them. I feel if more people saw how beautiful the sky was than they would have a more humble ideological thinking towards life. To remind them there’s a whole world out there.

[monkeycap]

A critique would be to show more B roll footage of the night sky, especially at the end there at 5:00 instead of grainy footage of them looking at the sky.

[TWE_]

I have a family cabin in Ketchum Idaho right by a river, it's a beautiful place and it's somewhere I might want to retire when I'm old. Glad to know that I'll still be able to see the night sky when I reach that age.

[Colddirector]

I honestly can't say I'm concerned about this over the combo of nightmarish issues we're facing right now. Between climate change, deregulation, ocean plastics, and environmental destruction, there's far more to freak out over than being able to see some pretty lights in the sky.

[jessehawkes]

You can’t beat the sky in Idaho. I live in south eastern part of the state, and one of the best views next to the mountains is the sky

[sitlalyc]

I bet Wyoming has less light of pollution than Idaho, I read somewhere that they are more animals than humans in the bordering state.

[rubyia]

I remember staring at the night sky during my first night at college in rural Minnesota. I probably spent 10 minutes just staring once I noticed that I could actually see the stars.

[ironqueen_osrs]

It's more important for nature and animals (like bugs and thus birds etc) to keep the nights dark than for astronomers. Everyone should do this all over the world!

[hippysmurf]

I was amazed at the sky when I moved from the east coast to Colorado. I had no clue you could see the milky way so perfectly with the naked eye. You can currently see it perfectly from all over the San Luis Valley, CO. Then again, there are TONS of UFO reports from that same area as well. :)

[xMarrilliamsx]

I live in Portland where it's pretty difficult to see the true night sky. Whenever i go home to visit family in rural michigan I really do appreciate seeing the stars again.

[JennHayden]

growing up in nyc, i never saw the stars as a kid except in the planetarium 😔