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SPACE.com (28 September 2020)

4/3/2021

63 years after Sputnik, satellites are now woven into the fabric of daily life

Another concern is what it could mean if thousands of satellites continually criss-cross the sky, making it difficult for professional astronomers, amateur enthusiasts and indigenous peoples alike to observe the sky for scientific and cultural purposes.

"Higher numbers [of satellites] mean a higher probability that a satellite is in any particular direction we look toward the night sky, and a higher probability that they will affect astronomical data," John Barentine, director of public policy at the International Dark-Sky Association, told Space.com. "So far astronomers have mainly relied on dodging satellites in making their observations, but such high numbers of them will make that increasingly difficult."

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Forbes (25 July 2020)

4/3/2021

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The Last Comet? The Sad Truth About Why Seeing NEOWISE With Your Naked Eyes Is Harder Than It Looks

Light pollution affects the visibility of comets in generally the same way as it reduces the visibility of stars. “It lowers the contrast between the comet and the blackness of space beyond,” said John Barentine, Director of Public Policy at the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), a non-profit in Tucson, Arizona.

“Since our eyes don’t detect small differences in contrast at low light levels particularly well, diffuse objects especially like comets simply don’t stand out well.”

So while it’s possible for some to make-out the concentrated light of a comet’s coma, light pollution can mean many completely lose sight of Comet NEOWISE’s two tails.

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The Verge (16 June 2020)

4/3/2021

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The quest to reduce light pollution and bring stars back to Pittsburgh

Finding that balance [between safety on the ground and dark skies at night] is still very difficult. John Barentine, director of public policy at IDA, says that the research on lighting and crime has produced mixed results. “How much of the lighting and crime situation is about perception and feeling and not about actual evidence that the light is doing one thing or another?” he asked. “We just do not know the answer to that question to be quite honest.”

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Ars Technica (31 May 2020)

4/3/2021

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Can we save the night sky from satellite streaks?

"Obviously, satellites are not new; they've been a presence in the sky for 60 years. But what has changed is the quantities we are talking about," said John Barentine, director of public policy for the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA).

In March, IDA submitted a comment to the US Council on Environmental Quality regarding proposed changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) implementing regulations, the first such changes since 1978.

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Media Appearances

SPACE.com (28 September 2020)

63 years after Sputnik, satellites are now woven into the fabric of daily life

Forbes (25 July 2020)

The Last Comet? The Sad Truth About Why Seeing NEOWISE With Your Naked Eyes Is Harder Than It Looks

The Verge (16 June 2020)

The quest to reduce light pollution and bring stars back to Pittsburgh

Ars Technica (31 May 2020)

Can we save the night sky from satellite streaks?

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