The Dark Night Sky

The Issue

Here on the island of Nantucket, 30 miles out to sea, we’re blessed with dark skies. For now.


Seen from space today, Nantucket glows like a firefly in the night. Our view of the starry skies is at risk of slowly, imperceptibly, disappearing. It’s estimated that two-thirds of Americans can no longer see the Milky Way at night because of the glare of artificial lights where they live. Light pollution not only spoils our view of the night sky, it also affects our health, wastes resources, and impacts other creatures on our planet.


Fortunately, there are still plenty of places on Nantucket where it’s possible to see stars from horizon to horizon. But if we don’t work together to preserve our dark skies, we’ll lose them.



Not convinced? Here are a few links with more information and evidence:



What You Can Do

Just as we all contribute to preserving our island’s natural beauty by recycling, we also contribute to protecting Nantucket’s dark skies through our individual efforts. Some things you can do that will make a real difference:



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