ー英会話講師の英語日記ー　札幌英会話スクールSTEP UP（札幌駅、大通駅徒歩５分）

Stargazing

2017年8月11日 (金)

A student told me recently that most of the population of Japan never gets to see the milky way in the night sky because of light pollution. I think that is probably true, because there is so much illumination here at night that it is difficult to see any stars. Even from my home, which is a little bit outside the city center, it is hard for me to see even a few stars. I usually can only observe planets such as Venus, Mars, and Jupiter, and the moon.

I think having well-lit streets is good for public safety, and most of the light pollution that we deal with here is caused by businesses using illuminated signs for advertising, but I still think it is too bad that most people never get to see the beauty of the night sky. Luckily, here in Sapporo, we are never very far away from the countryside. It’s only a short drive in any direction to find a quiet rural area where we can enjoy gazing at this wonder of nature. I hope we can get the chance to go out and see some beautiful stars before summer is over.