Who Owns the Night Sky

Space exploration is increasingly privatized, from Earth's orbital space to the Moon and beyond. This has led to increasing congestion and environmental degradation of low-Earth orbits. Along with dramatic rises in ground-based light pollution, this has caused brightening night skies worldwide. The loss of dark skies and increasing space debris are already affecting astronomical observations as well as broader constituencies across humanity and the health of many ecosystems. I also share perspectives from numerous Indigenous communities and the growing impacts of these issues on their scientific-cultural practices and sky traditions. Space is an ancestral global commons, and the skies represent our shared heritage needing advocacy and protection more than ever.

Speaker: Aparna Venkatesan, University of San Francisco