The State We’re In by Jay Watson, Co-Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation.

The wonders of the night sky

This time of year, the night can feel like it lasts forever.

The winter solstice is around the corner (Earth’s shortest day of the year). The lingering nights can be difficult for many people. Luckily, nature’s got us covered — there is always beauty around to sustain us. This is a stellar time to look up at the night sky!

By around 7 p.m., the sky is dark enough to enjoy a number of planets, stars, and phenomena without a telescope. Winter is an especially ideal time for sky-gazing. Dry, cold air settles in, which holds less moisture and clears up hazy conditions. With October being New Jersey’s driest month on record, the bright shiny bulbs may seem bigger than ever in the dark sky.

In the western evening sky, Venus, our closest planetary neighbor, is extraordinarily bright. And that is not the only planet we can see right now: Jupiter is glowing low in the east; a yellowy Saturn is visible above the eastern horizon after sunset; and Mars will be brightening up in the northeast from now through the month of December.

Another fascinating reason why winter puts on a big show in the night sky is because of Earth’s tilted axis and where we are situated on the planet. In the summer months, we look into the center of the Milky Way, a huge collection of stars (most of which are not visible) that create a light haze in the sky. In the winter, when New Jersey faces away from the sun, our state looks towards the edge of the Milky Way galaxy. So, when we are star-gazing this month, we are looking out to the edge of the universe, where spread-out stars appear to shine brighter.

Sky-gazing is one of the oldest, most treasured human experiences. Our ancestors have been looking at the night sky for thousands of years. We had a jam-packed year of astronomical activity to enjoy in 2024, from April’s monumental solar eclipse to solar flares bringing the aurora borealis to our state.

New Jersey – with Philadelphia on one side and New York City on the other – is not known for its expansive sky-gazing opportunities. That said, in open spaces like parks and preserves, there is less light pollution, and even turning off lights in the backyard can make a big difference. DarkSky International is championing the night sky, with interactive maps that help locate dark places, as well as education and advocacy about light pollution.

Late fall and winter are also great times to connect the dots of constellations. The most famous of them all, Orion the Hunter, can be found in the eastern sky between the hours of 10 p.m. and midnight. An easy way to locate Orion is by pinpointing his belt: three stars in a short, straight row. On opposite sides of the belt, Orion’s two brightest stars, Betelgeuse and Rigel, can also be easily spotted.

Sarbmeet Kanwal, PhD, former engineer at Bell Labs and professor of astronomy and physics at Brookdale Community College, believes that having a connection to the night sky is crucial. He recalled a time when California experienced a blackout and there was no light pollution. Community members and neighbors walked outside and saw the white, sparkling haze of the Milky Way galaxy, and then panicked and called the cops. “They had no clue what they were looking at, they thought it was a fire,” says Kanwal. “That is how disconnected from the sky we have become.”

With increased awareness, we can feel a kinship with the night sky. Except for hydrogen, which formed practically at the beginning of time, each and every one of the atoms in our bodies formed in the cores of billions of early stars. “We come from the stars!” Kanwal says. “And when we look up, we feel like we are the children of something much bigger.”

If conditions remain dry and cool, you might even spot a few falling stars or zipping satellites. It is tempting to stay inside at night in the colder winter months but bundle up in some warm clothes and get out under the blanket of the night sky. The universe’s show is too good to miss!

To look for dark places, and learn more about how to reduce light pollution, please visit https://darksky.org/. To watch Kanwal’s lecture on how the awe of the universe can bring us together, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYmluD415s4. The Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions is providing a virtual workshop on Tuesday, December 10th, where experts will guide viewers through the science of light pollution, practical ways to raise awareness, and enact legislation to protect our skies at both local and state levels. To register, please visit https://anjec.org/events/bring-back-the-stars/.

For information about preserving New Jersey’s land and natural resources, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation website at www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org.