Night: an element of air, of water, of earth, the antithesis of fire? Macauley’s chapter invites the reader to consider the daily cycling through darkness as more than a simple turn of the planet away from the sun.
Identify the images below as they are referenced in the text.
The Hurricane Sandy disaster that hit Long Island on October 29th, 2012 plunged most of us in darkness, a darkness even more overwhelming given the time of year as each day was shorter, each night longer. Without the comfort and warmth of power, we huddled around candles, flashlights, fireplaces (those lucky one). Alas the cloud covered skies deprived us of that chance to see the night sky revealed as so beautifully described by Diane Ackerman. Now, a bit over a year later, we still remember those dark days. As we move beyond the time change and night comes all that sooner in our afternoon hours, what does night mean for us in a world of “light pollution?”