Chasing darkness — Canadians fight to protect jet black skies

By: Canada's National Observer Posted:

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On Sept. 23, 2022, Gary Colwell held an outdoor party at night with absolutely no lights. People from across Ontario flocked to the North Frontenac Township Dark Sky Preserve about two hours west of Ottawa to stargaze under dark skies.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/02/2023 (1326 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On Sept. 23, 2022, Gary Colwell held an outdoor party at night with absolutely no lights. People from across Ontario flocked to the North Frontenac Township Dark Sky Preserve about two hours west of Ottawa to stargaze under dark skies.

Some drove from as far away as Montreal and Toronto just to escape light pollution. In big cities, powerful artificial lighting 24 hours a day makes for brighter skies, making stars less visible. But in the 44,871 square kilometres of the dark sky preserve, bylaws control when people can turn on artificial lights and what kind of lighting people can use.

To read more of this story first reported by Canada’s National Observer, click here.

Gary Colwell adjusts the telescope as the sun sets in Plevna, Ont. (Isaac Phan Nay / Canada's National Observer)
Gary Colwell adjusts the telescope as the sun sets in Plevna, Ont. (Isaac Phan Nay / Canada's National Observer)

This content is made available to Winnipeg Free Press readers as part of an agreement with Canada’s National Observer that sees our two trusted news brands collaborate to better cover Canada. Questions about Observer content can be directed to dana@nationalobserver.com.

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