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I have a special thanks to Horntail (Rachel) for her photo of Death Valley entitled, A Martian Landscape on Earth. It reminded me that this place is one of the darkest places on earth at night.

This is what the nighttime sky looks like under a very dark sky. Sky & Telescope magazine reports that 85% of the people on the planet have never seen the Milky Way visible under dark skies due to light pollution. Note that this picture is a 360 degree panorama.

I canÂ’t take credit for this beauty. Credit: Dan Duriscoe and the U.S. National Park Service. Go to http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0705/deathvalleysky_nps_big.jpg for the full sized picture.

"Dark Skies" is one of those beauties that our tax dollars funded. I grew up under starry skies when we weren't in Europe. I'd like to increase that poor number of people who have seen the Milky Way, with the Sagittarian Star clouds and the Perseid Arm. Makes you realize just how tiny we are.

I don't post public domain works very often, but this one is close to my heart. Preserve as much of the sky for our grandchildren as you can. Please, use your light wisely. Light the ground and the building you wish to see, but shield the wasted light from the sky.