Shooting for the stars: UM research suggests Montana night sky tourism
Stars shine over Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park. (JP Edge/Hungry Horse News)
MISSOULA – Since time immemorial, people have looked up to the night sky, pondering the ways in which our lives here on Earth fit into the bigger picture. The Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana promotes this pondering with new initiatives aimed at using a vast untapped resource – Big Sky Country at night.
The starry night sky is a marvel but a dwindling one. On average skies are getting 10% brighter each year from increasing light pollution, defined as the excessive use of artificial light that can negatively impact human health, wildlife and our ability to observe the night sky. This phenomenon is having the fastest rate of change in North America, with 80% of the country’s population no longer able to see the Milky Way.
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