Rant: I hiked to a dark sky site near Cherry Springs and everyone was on their phones

I drove 3 hours out to the Cherry Springs State Park in Pennsylvania last month for astrophotography. Setup my gear, let my eyes adjust for 20 minutes, and three people had their phone screens blasting at full brightness checking Instagram. Completely ruined the dark adaptation for everyone within 50 feet. Has anyone else dealt with clueless people ruining a night of long exposure shots?

2 comments

2 Comments

verac4018d ago

You ever think those phone screens are practically designed to ruin a good night under the stars? I used to be one of those people who'd scroll through stuff without a second thought, but after one trip where someone's bright screen messed up my shots for a solid fifteen minutes, I completely changed my mind. Now I keep my phone tucked away and use a red light headlamp if I really need to check something. It's not just about being polite, it's about respecting the whole reason you drove out to a dark sky spot in the first place. Those screens kill your night vision fast, and it takes forever to get it back. If you're going to bother driving three hours, at least learn the basics of dark adaptation.

faithf7718d ago

And ya know, even the red lights still mess with nocturnal animals that need absolute dark to hunt or mate.