美国国家公共电台 NPR

Idaho Dims The Lights For One Of The Best Night Skies Anywhere

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

On a clear night in central Idaho, you can see the Milky¹ Way. That's because people there have made an effort to keep the night sky dark - dark enough, they hope, to earn an official seal of approval. Max Guilhem (ph) - Matt Guilhem of Boise State Public Radio explains.

MATT GUILHEM, BYLINE²: The conditions are perfect as Steve Botti, an astronomy enthusiast³ and city councilman for the tiny mountain town of Stanley, holds his sky quality meter to the heavens. It's a cloudless night, and the moon has set behind the Sawtooth Mountains as he assesses the darkness of the sky.

STEVE BOTTI: A reading of 21.75 or higher is considered by the Dark-Sky Association to be exceptionally dark - 21.76.

GUILHEM: With the darkest dark being 22 magnitudes per square arc second, the sky just outside of town is pristine⁴. The region surrounding the outpost would be part of a proposed Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve, the first of its kind in the U.S. Botti, who's been leading the charge to land Idaho the reserve for two years, says to get a similar view, you'd have to travel - far.

BOTTI: Well, there's a dark sky reserve in Namibia in southern Africa, which is very remote. It's a desert region, no cities anywhere close by.

GUILHEM: It's one of just 11 reserves around the world recognized for the quality and depth of the darkness.

JOHN BARENTINE: We have five designation categories, and I would say it is the most difficult of the set.

GUILHEM: John Barentine is the program manager for the Arizona-based International Dark-Sky Association. That's the group that vets⁵ and credentials⁶ exceptionally dark locales.

BARENTINE: In the case of the Sawtooth, it was some folks from Stanley. They told me that they view the nighttime darkness and, you know, the ability to see the Milky Way as something that is definitive⁷ of their part of the state and their part of the country.

GUILHEM: About 50 miles southeast of Stanley - on the other side of a high mountain pass - is Ketchum, a resort town that was also the final home of Ernest Hemingway. After enacting⁸ its first ordinance⁹ to curb¹⁰ light pollution and protect the sky in 1999, Ketchum was recognized by the international association in October as an official dark-sky community. Nina Jonas, the mayor of the town of almost 3,000, says the criteria¹¹ for the designation are quite specific.

NINA JONAS: We can't have any light going straight up, so you have to have a cap on your light shutting it down. Then you get into the argument of lumens, wattage, foot-candles. So - brightness - let's just call it brightness. There's a brightness degree, and then there's also a color degree.

GUILHEM: In other words, lots of rules.

On a recent chilly¹² afternoon, Judy Berg is picking up groceries in downtown Ketchum. She and her husband have lived in the city for 25 years. While it might seem burdensome, Berg says following the dark-sky ordinance has become second nature to residents.

JUDY BERG: Everybody seems to comply with it. I think the ones who don't are people who just move here and aren't familiar with it - haven't lived with it. When they realize how nice it is, then they're compliant¹³.

GUILHEM: In three years on the job, the head of Ketchum's planning and building department says the city hasn't issued a single citation¹⁴ for lights out of compliance¹⁵. The cooperation of the people of Ketchum is one reason you can reliably see the Milky Way from here on so many clear nights. And soon, all the paperwork and all the measurements could pay off. A designated dark sky reserve could bring a whole new crowd of celestial¹⁶ tourists. The International Dark-Sky Association is expected to make a decision about central Idaho by the end of the year.

For NPR News, I'm Matt Guilhem in Ketchum, Idaho.

1 milky   

adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的

参考例句：

• Alexander always has milky coffee at lunchtime.亚历山大总是在午餐时喝掺奶的咖啡。
• I like a hot milky drink at bedtime.我喜欢睡前喝杯热奶饮料。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 enthusiast   

n.热心人，热衷者

参考例句：

• He is an enthusiast about politics.他是个热衷于政治的人。
• He was an enthusiast and loved to evoke enthusiasm in others.他是一个激情昂扬的人，也热中于唤起他人心中的激情。

4 pristine   

adj.原来的，古时的，原始的，纯净的，无垢的

参考例句：

• He wiped his fingers on his pristine handkerchief.他用他那块洁净的手帕擦手指。
• He wasn't about to blemish that pristine record.他本不想去玷污那清白的过去。

5 vets   

abbr.veterans （复数）老手，退伍军人；veterinaries （复数）兽医n.兽医( vet的名词复数 )；老兵；退伍军人；兽医诊所v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的第三人称单数 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• I helped train many young vets and veterinary nurses too. 我还帮助培训了许多年青的兽医和护士。 来自互联网
• In fact, we've expanded mental health counseling and services for our vets. 实际上，我们已经扩大了退伍军人的心理健康咨询和服务。 来自互联网

6 credentials   

n.证明，资格，证明书，证件

参考例句：

• He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
• Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。

7 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

8 enacting   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Generally these statutes apply only to wastes from reactors outside the enacting state. 总之，这些法令只适宜用在对付那些来自外州的核废料。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• In addition, the complexion of enacting standards for live working is described. 另外，介绍了带电作业标准的制订情况。

9 ordinance   

n.法令；条令；条例

参考例句：

• The Ordinance of 1785 provided the first land grants for educational purposes.1785年法案为教育目的提供了第一批土地。
• The city passed an ordinance compelling all outdoor lighting to be switched off at 9.00 PM.该市通过一条法令强令晚上九点关闭一切室外照明。

10 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

11 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。

12 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

13 compliant   

adj.服从的，顺从的

参考例句：

• I don't respect people who are too compliant.我看不起那种唯命是从，唯唯诺诺的人。
• For years I had tried to be a compliant and dutiful wife.几年来，我努力做一名顺从和尽职尽职的妻子。

14 citation   

n.引用，引证，引用文；传票

参考例句：

• He had to sign the proposition for the citation.他只好在受奖申请书上签了字。
• The court could issue a citation and fine Ms. Robbins.法庭可能会发传票，对罗宾斯女士处以罚款。

15 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

16 celestial   

adj.天体的；天上的

参考例句：

• The rosy light yet beamed like a celestial dawn.玫瑰色的红光依然象天上的朝霞一样绚丽。
• Gravity governs the motions of celestial bodies.万有引力控制着天体的运动。