"During the observations conducted at that time, we would turn off some, or even all, of the street lighting in the village. We were assisted by several institutions, including the Municipal Office, the County Office, and employees of the Copernicus Astronomical Center in Warsaw. The first agreements with the local government and residents were made for this purpose as early as 2000-2002," explains Piotr Nawalkowski from the POLARIS-OPP Association, which promotes and develops astrotourism.
What exactly are dark sky protection areas (also called natural night darkness protection areas)? They are places where efforts have been made to reduce artificial light pollution. This type of pollution affects the unnatural illumination of the sky and the inability to observe stars, galaxies, or even meteors.
On the website ciemneniebo.pl, it is mentioned that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find places in Europe where the night sky can be easily observed. Even on the high peaks of the Alps, the sky is polluted with artificial light. Both professional and amateur astronomers struggle with making observations.
This is why the efforts made in Sopotnia Wielka are so important. Although it wasn't entirely the first place in Poland to have such an area established. "In 2009, a test area was created in the village of Palowice. However, in terms of observations and astrotourism, the lighting was only replaced in one district. Although the municipality continued the modernization of the lighting, unfortunately, it was no longer in accordance with the principles of the International Dark Sky Association or the guidelines of our Dark Sky program," says Nawalkowski.
In this respect, Sopotnia Wielka stands out. It is the first village in Poland where the entire public lighting system was modernized to protect the dark sky and develop astrotourism. As a result, one can admire the most beautiful astronomical phenomena and objects there at night, including the Milky Way.
To reduce light pollution, special sodium lamps with flat glass instead of convex covers were installed, so the light doesn't scatter upwards and sideways. The brackets were also replaced so that the lighting is positioned directly over the axis of the roadway, and a solution was introduced so that the light beam only falls where it is really needed.
Other municipalities and villages, such as Chalin and Izdebno in Greater Poland, have followed the example of Sopotnia Wielka. "Many other places are already installing proper lighting that better protects the dark sky, but they are doing so unconsciously and not with astrotourism in mind," points out Piotr Nawalkowski. He adds that in many cases, even the appropriate lamps are poorly installed or have the wrong light color. According to the guidelines of the international IDA organization, lamps with a color temperature of up to 3700K are recommended.
A village under the stars Although Sopotnia Wielka is a small town, thousands of people come there to observe the stars. One of the association members' greatest achievements is the construction of an astronomical observatory with one of the largest telescopes in this part of the country. It is located on the roof of the local school and is accessible to everyone.
There are also starry sky workshops, telescope shows, and even basic astrophotography classes. A library and a multifunctional room have also been opened, where workshops on active dark sky protection are held. People from abroad also attend these workshops.
"In March this year [2018 - ed. note], we hosted young people from six European Union countries and Turkey. It turned out that we are an example of rational lighting policy consistent with dark sky protection not only for our country but also for many other countries in our part of the world," says Nawalkowski.
Initially, the association organized amateur gatherings, but now you can come to Sopotnia Wielka for the annual Dark Sky Festival.
Places where stars are clearly visible Sopotnia Wielka is not the only place where similar activities are being carried out. "In our nomenclature, we have designated four types of active darkness protection: dark sky areas, dark sky parks, dark sky reserves [Polish law lacks regulations in this regard - ed. note], and so-called other places," lists the association's president.
This means that beautifully starry skies can still be observed in several other regions of Poland. Dark sky protection areas include the previously mentioned villages of Izdebno and Chalin, dark sky parks include the Bieszczady Starry Sky Park and the Izerski Dark Sky Park, and other places include part of the village of Palowice, which we also mentioned above.
"We can and must fight to preserve the darkness and the natural image of the night sky for future generations. Regardless of whether these are scientific observations, amateur observations, or simply astrotourism," concludes Piotr Nawalkowski.
