Stars shine in dark night above Xichong Community in Dapeng New Area. Li Delai
Shenzhen Astronomical Observatory and Xichong Community will jointly create Shenzhen’s first “Dark Night Community” where residents can watch and take pictures of the starry sky without light pollution.
Xichong Beach, the largest beach in Shenzhen, is located in Xichong Community, Nan’ao on Dapeng Peninsula. Since it is less affected by urban light pollution, the five-kilometer coastline has long been a popular attraction among astronomy enthusiasts in Shenzhen. A large number of people would gather here, capturing the beauty of the Milky Way through their lenses in dry and cloudless seasons.
According to Mei Lin, director of the observatory’s astronomy department, said the proposal of building a “Dark Night Community” is in response to Shenzhen residents’ needs for professional and scientific observation. It also aims to further protect the environment, where research observations are done by the observatory.
“At present, residents who want to see landscapes with a starry sky and the Milky Way have to travel to Yunnan, Sichuan and other regions in the country. If Xichong can build itself into a “Dark Night Community,” it will become a magnet for astronomy enthusiasts from Shenzhen and the Pearl River Delta, said Mei.
The astronomical observation conditions depend on atmospheric conditions, degrees of light pollution, weather and other factors. A “Dark Night Community” requires a particularly pure night environment, significantly little light pollution and an extremely dark sky, according to Mei.
At present, Shenzhen Astronomical Observatory is drafting a plan in cooperation with the relevant departments of Dapeng New Area.
In the future, the observatory plans to join hands with relevant departments to control light emissions during a specific period of time in the “Dark Night Community” and the area nearby.