Episode 20: THE SOUND OF THE STARS - Paul Gregory & Nick Dunn - The International Dark-Sky Association

Episode 20, ‘The Sound of the Stars’, marks the 1st anniversary of The Quiet Mark Podcast. Yay!! And just as our 1st episode, with Acoustics Director, Richard Grove, and Colin Ball, Lighting Director at BDP (Building Design Partnership), looked at the relationship between Light & Sound in architectural design, this latest one explores the parallels between Light and Noise pollution.  

Our guests on this episode are Paul Gregory - Global Specification & Training Director at Dyson and Nick Dunn, Executive Director of ImaginationLancaster & Professor of Urban Design at Lancaster University, both members of The International Dark-Sky Association.

April 5th to 12th sees The International Dark-Sky Association's 2021 International Dark Sky Week. Every year, the International Dark-Sky Association hosts International Dark Sky Week (IDSW) to raise awareness about light pollution’s many negative effects. 

Our world has become a 24/7 society. We use outdoor lighting, such as street lights and shop windows, to be more active at night and to increase our safety and security. But what impact is this lighting having on our sleep and on nature? 

The stars and the sun have thousands of soundwaves bouncing around inside them at any given moment. Understanding these stellar harmonies represents a revolution in astronomy. By "listening" for stellar sound waves with telescopes, scientists can figure out what stars are made of, how old they are, how big they are and how they contribute to the evolution of our Milky Way galaxy as a whole. 

A wave of silence has spread across the planet as man-made noise fell by 50% during the first worldwide coronavirus lockdowns. Noise pollution was reduced by 50% and suddenly nature, especially birdsong, seemed noticeably louder than ever before. But can the same be said of light pollution? 

Our show host, Simon Gosling, asks Paul and Nick these and other questions about the wonder of stargazing and how a beautiful starry sky can change your life, for the better, forever.