Dimming the celebs: a younger London stargazer’s warning about mild air pollution

Siddharth Patel’s love for stargazing goes again to age 5, when he first noticed the moon in downtown London, Ont., via a telescope his dad purchased for him. 

The now 12-year-old has gained a number of awards for his evening sky images, together with most lately being chosen because the People’s Choice Winner within the International Capture the Dark 2025 images contest for snapping The Milky Way with Comet. 

But he admits stargazing whereas residing within the metropolis’s core is a problem as a result of mild air pollution will get in the way in which of a number of the finest websites, forcing him to journey exterior of London to catch the evening sky. 

“Downtown has a lot of lights, right? So those lights go up into the atmosphere and then reflect down, so we’re basically getting this big halo that’s really blocking our view of seeing anything,” Patel advised CBC’s Afternoon Drive visitor host Kate Adach. 

It’s why Patel is elevating consciousness about mild air pollution in London.  

“Light pollution harms basically everything, it’s like really bad,” Patel stated, noting its affect on people and different species. “It also affects our circadian rhythm, so our sleep patterns are affected, and we’re not able to sleep properly because of light pollution.

“One instance is child turtles who observe the moon’s mild to information them to the seas, they usually mistake it for lights on the road, they usually go the improper means and go away their habitats, in order that’s not good for them. And birds have to be at the hours of darkness to hunt, so typically they will hit the sunshine and die, in order that’s not good for something,” he said. 

LISTEN | Two generations of stargazers on the importance of dark skies:

Patel frequently hosts local events where he explains to community members just how light pollution is taking away from night skies in the cities and why preserving the dark matters. He’s also a member of Dark Sky International, a non-profit which provides information on how to reduce light pollution. 

Peter Jedicke, a member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada’s London branch, agrees the skies in southwestern Ontario aren’t ideal for stargazers, describing them as “terrible” and “horrible”.

“There aren’t any actually darkish skies anyplace between mainly Windsor and Montreal. You know, southwest of London, there are a few patches the place it isn’t fairly as dangerous as within the metropolis,” said Jedicke.

“[Dark skies] join us to nature, our heritage and to our historical past, and we’re liable to dropping that. With mild air pollution within the background sky, you do not see as a lot. Even if you look via the telescope, mild air pollution’s an issue, so it sort of ruins the expertise of trying on the sky.”

Jedicke believes light pollution isn’t a top priority for municipalities, but better awareness could help minimize the impacts of light pollution in the city’s overall infrastructure when renewing light fixtures on streets, subdivisions, or on highways, he said. 

“There’s an terrible lot of consciousness of many environmental components and environmental issues, and lightweight air pollution is kind of simply not fairly on that checklist, so we might like to see it simply step up a bit of so it is kind of a part of the dialog,” he said. 

However, seeing youngsters like Patel take such a strong interest in advocating for dark skies gives Jedicke hope that a new generation of stargazers is up to the task, he said. 

As for Patel, he’ll continue his escapades and photography. This weekend, he’s travelling to North York for Star Fest, an event where stargazers come together. 

“I’m most trying ahead to capturing the Veil Nebula and the Veil PT, which is that this cloud advanced, which is absolutely cool. I additionally wish to meet up with individuals, share my experiences and discuss extra about mild air pollution,” he stated.