#184 How a Small Outback Town Became One of the Darkest, and Brightest, Places in Australia with Grant Salmond

What if the thing we most need to conserve isn't a place, but darkness itself?In this episode, Sarah speaks with Grant Salmond, Education and Astronomy Manager at the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum, about how the small Queensland town of Winton became one of only eight internationally accredited Dark Sky places in Australia.Grant explains how a plague of insects led to a town-wide lighting overhaul, how the Gondwana Stars Observatory links the fossil record to the night sky, and how the First Nations "Dark Emu" constellation has guided seasonal knowledge for tens of thousands of years.Along the way: citizen science through Globe at Night, an opera performed beneath the stars, and a simple lightbulb swap that could help bring the stars back to your own backyard.More InformationDark sky international - https://darksky.org/https://www.australianageofdinosaurs.com/https://www.winton.qld.gov.au/Community/Dark-Sky-Communityhttps://globeatnight.org/https://australasiandarkskyalliance.org/https://www.scienceweek.net.au/https://darksky.org/what-we-do/events/dark-sky-week/If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a review and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.