Program Aim
- To recognise and promote Dark Sky areas in Otago
- To provide a pathway for local Dark Sky groups to international Dark Sky Status
- To share knowledge across Dark Sky groups within Otago
- To promote local benefits and cultural values, particularly Maori Mātauranga
The Accreditation Process
Winterstellar will accredit an area in Otago with Winterstellar Astronomical Site on the basis of an application addressing:
- The proposed boundaries of the Astronomical Site
- Demonstration that the night sky brightness of Astronomical Site area does not exceed 0.2millicandela/m2 [refer Falchi et al 2024 night sky brightness map]
- Commitment by the applicants to advance all aims of the program as above
- Details of at least one astronomy/night sky public outreach program to be conducted
- Details of at least one program to improve existing outdoor lighting in the Site
- Letter of support from local community association(s)
- Letter of support from District Council.
The application itself should be no longer than 3 pages, excluding the two letters of support.
Winterstellar will assist applicants to develop the application and may visit the proposed
location.
Applications will be accepted at any time and will be reviewed by the Winterstellar Board on
a bi-monthly basis.
The accreditation process is designed to be simple, collaborative and quick. This is possible due to the broad and deep experience in astronomy, dark sky protection, policy, education and local knowledge of the Winterstellar Board members. It provides an entry point for small communities interested in exploring full international Dark Sky Status, but daunted by the resource requirement [many hundreds of hours over an extended 1-3 year period] required for an application.
Why are we doing this?
One of Winterstellar’s core objectives is to protect the night skies of Otago from the growing threat of light pollution. The only way areas can be protected is with community support and local government having effective lighting provisions.
The “Gold Standard” for doing that is DSI recognition which requirements include effective lighting management plans, policy protection, and public outreach. Achieving DSI accreditation though is not easy, guaranteed or timely. Recent DSI applications [Glenorchy, Naseby, Gibbston] have taken multiple years and many hundreds of hours of work. This scale of investment is beyond many smaller groups, under some of the darkest skies in Otago.
If we do nothing, or just focus on DSI recognition for those areas that can afford it, many areas that have good skies now, may lose them soon to developments with bad light planning. Light pollution travels very far. As we lose places with pristine skies now, we also degrade DSI appropriate places for the future.
Contact andy@winterstellar.com to find out more.
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