Please join us for our next two 350 Chicago Monthly speaker series!

For more than 4 billion years our planet has experienced bright, sunlit days followed by dark, star-filled nights. In a little more than a century we've upended that natural pattern with the unconsidered introduction of electric light at night. It has been increasing at a rate of 10% per year. What are the ramifications of our transformation of the night? We will explore a broad range impacts of light pollution including on climate change and other ecological areas, health, economic and social justice outcomes. And we will explore solutions often as simple as the flick of a switch.

Ken Walczak is the Senior Manager of Far Horizons – a scientific research and engineering program at the Adler Planetarium – engaging students, volunteers and the public in hands-on, participatory research projects. He has co-author of numerous papers on the design and use of innovative instrumentation for light pollution research. As an advocate, he gives many talks on the impacts of light pollution and co-led the successful international designation of the world’s largest Urban Night Sky Place, The Palos Preserves southwest of Chicago. He is a photographer, formerly owned a lighting and furniture design company and is an avid astronomer and science communicator. He is a board member of the Dark Sky International and an associate member of the Illuminating Engineering Society.