JOYA-LA BARRETA ECOLOGICAL PARK, Mexico (AP) - As night fell, a rumble of frogs filled the air in this park outside the central Mexican city of Queretaro. One by one, small stars appeared in the sky, forming into constellations.
Juan Carlos Hernández used his weight to adjust a large telescope. "Aim at me, Rich!" he shouted at his friend. Ricardo Soriano pointed a green laser at a small patch of clouds, aiming for the spot where the Tsuchinshan-Atlas comet will soon be visible.
Hernández and other amateur astronomers worked last year to get the Joya-La Barreta Ecological Park certified as the first urban night sky space in Latin America by DarkSky International, an organization dedicated to educating the public about the harms of indiscriminate lighting .
Located approximately 2,600 meters above sea level, on the outskirts of Queretaro, the park offers unobstructed access to the night sky. Although more than 200 dark sky sites exist worldwide, Joya-La Barreta Park is only one of 11 in areas considered urban. However, its dark sky status is under constant threat from increasing light pollution and urbanization.
Fading stars
Hernández, who just turned 40, has been relentlessly advocating for the night sky for more than two decades.
The aerospace engineer, president of Queretaro's Astronomical Society and one of the founders of the stargazing agency Astronite, has been chasing dark areas during the day to observe the stars since he can remember.
"In 2014 you could see Omega (Centauri) sitting in the sky just above the city," he said of a constellation more than 17,000 light-years away. "Today it is unimaginable."
A 2023 study that analyzed data from more than 50,000 amateur stargazers found that artificial light makes the night sky around the world about 10% brighter every year. As of 2016, more than 80% of the world lived under light-polluted skies.
Studies in Mexico show that increased urbanization and the need for urban lighting due to safety issues have increased light pollution.
Fernando Ávila Castro of the Institute of Astronomy of the National Autonomous University of Mexico said noise pollution is a good analogy to explain light pollution.
"We hear traffic noise from the street all the time, but after a certain level that intensity becomes annoying and doesn't let you rest," he said. "The same thing happens with light. Especially since all living things have this internal clock, the circadian rhythm, which depends on the external values of light."
"When we go to sleep, we forget that there is a whole world that remains active," Castro said.
Under the spotlight
The moon and stars are the source of light that guides the nocturnal activity of plants and animals. They determine when animals emerge from hiding to find food, when plants reproduce, and when certain species migrate. Artificial lighting has come a long way since the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, with efficient, affordable LEDs the latest type in widespread use.
"There's also a whole section on biodiversity," said Analette Casazza, president of another astronomical association in Queretaro, as she stood under the stars on Saturday evening. "We can hear the song of all the animals that live here (in Joya-La Barreta). Many of these pollinating animals are active at night.'
The Joya-La Barreta Park is home to 123 species of vertebrates.
"The real challenge we have is to involve citizens," said María Guadalupe Espinosa de los Reyes Ayala, Minister of the Environment of Queretaro. "When people arrive at a place like this and realize how much it has to offer, they see the need to protect and preserve it."
Maintain challenge
Hernández and other astronomy activists continue to fight to preserve the park's nighttime conditions and adopt state regulations to reduce light pollution.
Hernández is also fighting to enforce Mexico's General Law on Ecological Balance, which was passed in 2021.
The law provides general recommendations to minimize light pollution. It is recognized in certain Mexican states such as Sonora, Baja California and Hidalgo to protect observatories and professional astronomical observations. In Queretaro, however, Hernández filed an amendment to the state Congress in 2023 to implement the regulations, but had no luck.
Three times a year, Joya-La Barreta's citizen astronomers must submit reports on light pollution to DarkSky. Increased light pollution levels or a lack of visitors to the park for astronomical activities could jeopardize their certification. For Ricardo Soriano, another founder of Astronite, it is a constant source of concern.
"If the contamination continues to increase and the government does not support us, and does not do more to look beyond our certification, then we could lose it," Soriano said. "We will have to leave Queretaro to find another park like this. I hope they can see it as something important for the state and the community."
On Saturday, as the comet came into view, 10-year-old Matti González, accompanied by his parents Antonio González and Brenda Estrella, broke into a smile as he looked through his telescope.
"What are you going to dress up as for Halloween?" González asked his son. "An astronaut!" Matti screamed.
Throughout the night, Hernandez ran back and forth among the attendees, a red headlight guiding his path. He explained certain celestial objects or helped point a telescope at Saturn's rings. He paused for a moment and thought about Carl Sagan, and how the astronomer said that the same elements that form in the last gasp of a dying star - hydrogen, oxygen, carbon - are elements found in our bodies today.
"Looking at the sky is the most spiritual experience there can be," Hernández said excitedly. "It is the connection to our true molecular origins, but also to our cosmic destiny."
Looking up at the stars, he said, "For me, the most important thing is that future generations know that a resource that their grandparents had is being lost."
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