The Digital Press

A reflective essay excerpt from Craig Childs’ upcoming book "The Wild Dark" explores the experience of seeking dark skies far from city lights, revealing how light pollution dims the stars and alters our connection with the night sky.

Why it matters: Light pollution from cities like Las Vegas obscures the Milky Way, pushing natural darkness—and star visibility—further away from urban areas.

The big picture: Dark skies foster a deep sense of orientation, respect, and imagination rooted in our ancestral connection to the cosmos.

Stunning stat: A sky quality meter reading of magnitude 18.9 near Death Valley shows significant light pollution, far from pristine dark sky conditions.

Commenters say: Readers appreciate the poetic depiction of night sky loss and highlight tools like darksitefinder.com to locate remaining dark sky spots.