Movies

Movies
It's time for the release of the Oscar Nominated Films

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

The City Dark (approx 1:30) 2010

Environmental Film Festival at Yale - Day 3
Ian Cheney's The City Dark sheds light on. . . the light pollution of the night sky. The documentary is segmented into six areas. The segments include astronomers working in observatories on Staten Island, Sky Village (AZ), and Maui, (HI) speak about their experiences and challenges of their work now and in the past. There is a section on how light pollution negatively effects the migration of birds and the trek of newly hatched sea turtles to the ocean. One section that provided new learning for many of us in the audience was research showing a relationship of  increased cases of breast cancer in women who work the night shift. Fortunately this part was not to technical, it apparently has something to do with melatonin. The final segment ends with the solution. Towns are enacting legislation that requires residents to buy light fixtures that reducesthe amount of light going up into space by directing the light to the ground. This is something that we can all do. This was a wonderfully engaging documentary which succinctly touched upon the important causes and issues of light pollution. It was very illuminating in a positive way.

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