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light pollution

When I first moved here, the sky wasn't too terribly different from Alabama or China. The stars weren't quite as bright and the sky not quite as dark, but not by much.
And then the 40/42 area started building up quite rapidly, adding nightlights around buildings and parking lots, and one corner of the sky became a bit brighter at night. Then the property at White Oak was sold, and now thanks to the White Oak Shopping Center (which I happen to love), a huge section of the sky became bright at night.
Saturday morning as we left Alabama very early, I took my time walking to the van with my head titled backwards, glorying in the bright little specks I seldom distinctly see here.  I  must have been dwadling more than usual, for Bobby stopped and looked up and exclaimed "Wow!"  I think he was amazed at the difference.
And that's one of the many things I'm looking forward to seeing again this weekend: stars. You wouldn't think that fake light cancels out real light, but it does. The scientific neighborhood calls it "light pollution".  Either way, once you finally see the real thing again, it's totally breathtaking.
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