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You are here: Experts > Science > Space and Astronomy for Kids > Astronomy > Astronomy and "global warming"
Astronomy - Astronomy and "global warming"
Expert: Philip Stahl - 10/23/2009
Question
Is "global warming" affecting the amateur astronomer? Do you have any images from the past to compare with the images of today?
Answer
Hello,
I am really not sure what you mean by global warming "affecting the amateur astronomer". Do you mean in terms of cloud cover? Anyway, I will assume that is what you meant for the purposes of this answer.
What I can tell you is that a much more pernicious problem is *light pollution*. As there is increased development in many (once) rural areas of the country (not to mention world!) they have lost those once pristine skies - where in the summer, for example, you could spot the Milky Way as a band across the night sky. No more! (Unless you go into a desert area or very remote place, such as deep interior Alaska, where I was in 2005)
This is not to say clouds aren't a problem (sorry, I have no photos readily available), but light pollution simply trumps them.
In Barbados (and much of the Caribbean), another problem that has emerged since 1996 is the arrival of Sahara dust in the high atmosphere, carried along wind streams from West Africa. I recall some nights at the Harry Bayley Observatory where we couldn't see a single nebula because of the haze. We'd just have to call off any public viewing.
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Addendum:
I have seen a number of experts, including Tom Whiting and S. Russo (who also replied to you) claiming there is "no global warming" or there is only "global cooling".
This is to assure you this is absolute balderdash. All the evidence is in, there is a genuine scientific consensus, and only 'flat earthers' or political hacks substituting politics for science deny it.
As to the claim of "global cooling", that has been disproved for over a year - since a Nature paper came out. More recently, NOAA scientists have rebutted this claim, and you can read more about it here:
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_13647421
Excerpt:
"Have you heard that the world is now cooling instead of warming? You may have seen some news reports on the Internet or heard about it from a provocative new book.
Only one problem: It's not true, according to an analysis of the numbers done by several independent statisticians for The Associated Press."
As for the Sun "having no spots since 2006", this is also nonsense. Whiting ought to know better. I attended a solar physics conference in June, and while yes, there have been "spotless days" recorded - they have not been continuous! The conclusion at that Boulder, CO meeting was also that HUMANS are the agents of warming, and that it is REAL.
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