Experts looking into people feeling upset at the changes to the night’s sky thanks to pollution and satellites have coined a new phrase known as noctalgia, also described as sky grief
Many of us enjoy camping out and watching the night’s sky – but the heavens are changing beyond our comprehension, a new report has warned.
Light pollution around large towns and cities means many people cannot see the stars above us when the sun goes down. Adding to the problem are the number of satellites in the sky, with around 8,200 in orbit of the planet meaning nights are never truly dark. The changes have given birth to a new term known as noctalgia – also called sky grief – and is said to be affecting many people’s health and well being as a result.
A report into the condition by authors Professor Aparna Venkatesan from the University of San Francisco and John C. Barentine from Dark Sky Consulting reads: “We offer here the term noctalgia to express “sky grief” for the accelerating loss of the home environment of our shared skies, a disappearance felt globally and deserving its own field of study of “nyctology”.
“This represents far more than mere loss of environment: we are witnessing loss of heritage, place-based language, identity, storytelling, millennia-old sky traditions and our ability to conduct traditional practices grounded in the ecological integrity of what we call home. This is especially true for those disproportionately impacted by climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and broader social inequities, including Indigenous communities.