Random Fact of the day - Tuesday

After a power outage in LA, people called asking what the bright lights in the sky were. They didn't know what STARS were!

In 1994, when the Northridge earthquake knocked out the power in LA, people contacted authorities and observatories wondering what the strange bright lights (stars) in the sky were.
Light pollution has become sort of a problem in very developed areas. Apparently two thirds of the world can’t see the Milky Way at night because of it. As you probably know, light pollution is caused by an excess of artificial light, resulting in an inability to see much of the starry sky.
In Los Angeles, for example, stars are barely visible at night. In some areas they can’t be seen at all at night. But surely everyone knows that, right? Wrong. In 1994, following the Northridge earthquake at 4:31 a.m., the local observatory received many calls asking about “the strange sky” people were seeing after the earthquake. What happened?
The earthquake had cause a blackout, and because so many people had never left the city and thus never seen stars, the sight was completely foreign to them. The sad truth of it is that this is only going to get worse. The more that places become urbanized, the more people will grow up not knowing just how many stars are in the sky.
(Source)

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