Pic du Midi er nu IDSR

[tom.aDeltager Super Giant]

Pic du Midi observatoriet (i Pyrenærene) og området omkring er nu udnævnt til International Dark Sky Reserve. Nedenfor er pressemeddelesen som dumpede ind i min indbakke for cirka en time siden.

Stort tillykke til franskmændene

…

France Celebrates Naming of its

First

International Dark Sky Reserve

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

19 December 2013

TUCSON, AZ, AND TOULOUSE, FRANCE – The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) announced today the designation of the first International Dark Sky Place in France. In naming the Pic du Midi International Dark Sky Reserve (IDSR), IDA is pleased to recognize the immense local efforts to preserve and protect the exceptionally dark night skies over the Pyrénées Mountains.

“In creating the Reserve, the Pic du Midi team has not only protected a vanishing resource, they have made it better than it was,” said IDA Executive Director Bob Parks. “We commend and celebrate their exceptional efforts.”

The Pic du Midi team not only protected a vanishing resource, they have made it better than it was.

The new Dark Sky Reserve will be known in France as Réserve Internationale de Ciel Étoilé du Pic du Midi. It is located in a region that currently draws 1.5 million visitors per year. Consisting of 1,202 square miles (3,112 km2) of public and private lands, it encompasses a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Pyrénées-Mont Perdu) and a French national park (Pyrénées National Park). It is the second-largest International Dark Sky Reserve in the world after Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve in New Zealand.

Pic du Midi Observatory

The efforts leading to today’s designation began in the 1990s when Europe nearly lost one its premiere astronomical research facilities, the Pic du Midi Observatory. As government budget cuts threatened permanent closure, Observatory supporters

Star trails over Pic du Midi Observatory by Paul Compère / Pic du Midi

secured its renaissance through a “beautiful alliance between science and tourism,” according to Daniel Soucaze des Soucaze, Executive Director of Pic du Midi.

He said the International Dark Sky Reserve designation represents an “important milestone” in the history of the Observatory, and believes IDA’s recognition coupled with the dedicated support of local communities greatly enhances the Observatory’s long-term prospects.

Achieving this designation “is of utmost importance for the future of astronomy, both professional and amateur,” said Hubert Reeves, Québécois astrophysicist and Director of Research at the French National Centre for Scientific Research.

Energy Savings, Tourism, and Research

The motivations driving the four-year effort culminating in today’s announcement expanded well beyond aesthetic and scientific considerations. According to French Senator François Fortassin, the “first aim” of the project was to minimize light pollution around Pic du Midi Observatory, but it soon became apparent there was much more to be gained.

Timelapse at the Pic du Midi Observatory

Timelapse at the Pic du Midi Observatory

by Romain Montaigut

As part of the efforts to achieve IDA recognition, a total of 251 communities adopted a comprehensive outdoor lighting management plan (LMP) that included retrofits and replacements of existing lighting fixtures, and the use of new lighting technologies.

By 2013, early results showed the LMP could effectively reduce light pollution in the region by 85 percent and energy usage by 38 percent, all while maintaining safe lighting levels for residents and visitors.

The new lighting plan continues to provide “significant energy savings and offer economic development opportunities in the Hautes-Pyrénées area,” said Christian Poncet, Regional Representative of the French power company Électricité de France.

The region is capitalizing on the IDA designation as a means of furthering research into land use policy and practices, tourism business models, and resources sustainability at the nearby University of Pau and Pays de l’Adour. A team has been designated by the University to manage the Pic du Midi IDSR project and to install and maintain scientific instruments in the Pic du Midi region to monitor the quality of the night sky in the future.

Officials at Pic du Midi have even grander aspirations for preserving dark skies in the Pyrénées. In coming years, they plan to work with their Spanish counterparts to expand the protected territory into Spain, making for the first IDA Dark Sky Reserve spanning two nations.

…

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Avnø Naturcenter, stedet hvor AFFS og nattemørket mødes.
Min blog http://grib-stjernerne.dk/

[tom.aDeltager Super Giant]

Jeg fandt nogle målinger af nattemørket over Pic du Midi. De ligger mellem 21,50 og 21,81.

En timelaps video fra pressemeddelelsen:

http://vimeo.com/76724488?utm_source=France+DSPlace+Dec.+19+PR&utm_campaign=Dec+19+PR&utm_medium=email

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Avnø Naturcenter, stedet hvor AFFS og nattemørket mødes.
Min blog http://grib-stjernerne.dk/

[viggo.tDeltager Super Giant]

Det var dog den bedste dark sky meddelelse i lang tid.

mvh Viggo.

[astrojensenDeltager Neutron star]

Jeg fandt nogle målinger af nattemørket over Pic du Midi. De ligger mellem 21,50 og 21,81.

Jeg har målt en SQM på 21,75 fra mine forældres gård et par km fra Gudhjem… Og 21,55 fra mit hus inde i Østermarie!

Men luften oppe i Pyrenæerne er LANGT klarere og fri for vanddamp og det gør selvfølgelig en enorm forskel. Der er steder på Bornholm, der er meget mørkere, end hjemme hos mine forældre, så man bør kunne presse SQM’en er par tiendedele mere, måske 21,85 – 21,9.

Jeg kontaktede engang IDA, for at spørge dem, hvordan man mon kunne få Bornholm lavet til dark sky reservat, eller noget i den retning. Jeg har aldrig fået et svar. Ikke så meget som et pip.

Thomas, Bornholm

[outlookDeltager Super Nova]

Årh, mon ikke du kan få Hammershus med…Det ligger jo ret højt…

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Hilsen Leif,
“When you look through a good apo, your world suddenly gets very quiet. Your breathing gets deep, and you don’t seem to be in any hurry to do anything else…” Ed Ting

[tom.aDeltager Super Giant]

Astrojensen wrote:

Jeg fandt nogle målinger af nattemørket over Pic du Midi. De ligger mellem 21,50 og 21,81.

Jeg har målt en SQM på 21,75 fra mine forældres gård et par km fra Gudhjem… Og 21,55 fra mit hus inde i Østermarie!

Men luften oppe i Pyrenæerne er LANGT klarere og fri for vanddamp og det gør selvfølgelig en enorm forskel. Der er steder på Bornholm, der er meget mørkere, end hjemme hos mine forældre, så man bør kunne presse SQM’en er par tiendedele mere, måske 21,85 – 21,9.

Jeg kontaktede engang IDA, for at spørge dem, hvordan man mon kunne få Bornholm lavet til dark sky reservat, eller noget i den retning. Jeg har aldrig fået et svar. Ikke så meget som et pip.

Thomas, Bornholm

Ja, der må være steder på Bornholm som kan nå ned omkring 21,9. Jeg har et par målinger her fra Møn 2,5-3 km udenfor Stege hvor målingen er nede at runde 21,87 +/-0,1.

Men mere om det når jeg får samlet nok målinger

Mærkeligt at du ikke har hørt så meget som et pip fra IDA, de skriver da på deres hjemmeside at de gerne besvarer spørgsmål osv.!

Tom A2013-12-19 22:29:09

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Avnø Naturcenter, stedet hvor AFFS og nattemørket mødes.
Min blog http://grib-stjernerne.dk/

[astrojensenDeltager Neutron star]

Årh, mon ikke du kan få Hammershus med…Det ligger jo ret højt…LOL

Haha! Jo, måske. Jeg har faktisk spekuleret på, hvor mørkt der er. Der er dog et fyrtårn ikke langt derfra. Man kan også se Sverige i horisonten og der er faktisk en del lysforurening derfra.

Der er ekstremt mørkt i området syd for Almindingen, i Ølene plantage, da det ligger langt fra alle byer. Jeg har været på øvelse her med hjemmeværnet og stjernehimlen kan være ekstremt mørk hernede kl 3 om natten.

Thomas, Bornholm

Thomas, BornholmAstrojensen2013-12-19 22:30:27

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