​Sask. photographer who sees magic of the night sky says it needs protection

Jeanine Holowatuik keeps her camera gear stashed by the door, ready to go at a moment's notice.

The astrophotographer spends her time chasing the northern lights, waiting for waves of green and purple to start dancing across the sky.

"I could be in the middle of nowhere all by myself, just screaming, all excited at the sky, because it's just so unbelievable. It could be raining down light in every direction," said Holowatuik, who lives near Hudson Bay, Sask.

"There's just something magical about the night sky. It has this way to calm you and excite you and bring out the curiosity."

Holowatuik wants others to experience that magic. She teaches photography, leads aurora tours and speaks at conferences.

But she also wants people to know that the dark skies, as people have known them, are under threat as space and light pollution increases.

"When I first started photography, I would see a couple satellites in my photos throughout the night. Now, eight years later, I'll see at least a dozen satellites in one six-second exposure." 

Samantha Lawler has also observed the night sky becoming more crowded, both with her eyes and her research data captured by large telescopes. 

"It's really sad to see something that humans have had access to for all of human history, changing in real time," said the astronomer, who lives on a rural farm outside of Regina. She is also an associate professor with Campion College at the University of Regina.

"There's so much traditional knowledge from cultures around the world that's wrapped up in watching the constellations or the position of the Milky Way."

​She's been studying how recently launched satellites are changing the night sky — and describes what's to come as depressing and horrifying. 

Urban light pollution has been a concern for night sky observers for years, she noted, but people have escaped it by travelling away from cities.

Satellite light pollution knows no boundaries.