Have you ever sat outside and looked up at the night sky, only to be disappointed that you can’t see any stars beyond the polluted city air?
Those living in Sandakan wouldn’t be able to relate as their night sky is full of stars like you’ve never seen before.
Ahmad Zainal Latip took to the Astronomi & Sains Facebook group to showcase images of the Milky Way, taken in Kampung Dandulit, Sandakan, Sabah.
Zainal shared with WORLD OF BUZZ that the images were taken from his Huawei Mate 40 Pro, and that he used the Snapseed software to enhance the photos.
Many Malaysians have not had the opportunity to see the Milky Way with their naked eyes due to severe light pollution that plagues the city skies.
Improper use of non-natural lighting
Science Officer at Planetarium Negara, Jong Tze Kian told Harian Metro that this is due to society’s attitude of not using light properly, instead, we waste it on non-natural lighting such as house lights, signboards and lighting for skyscrapers.
“It’s not only a waste because we cannot see the beautiful scenery of the universe, we also face various side effects to health such as depression, stress as well as exposure to light for too long weakens the body’s physiological system,” he shared.
If we didn’t have so many lights on at night, we’d probably have the same view of the night sky in Kuala Lumpur, as they do in Sandakan.
We genuinely hope that we can all reduce our usage of non-natural lighting so that one day, we too can lay a blanket on the ground and just stargaze, no matter what part of Malaysia we’re in.
What do you think about this? Let us know in the comment section.
Also read: Attention Māsians! Donāt Miss Your Chance To View The Perseids Meteor Shower On 12-13 August
