Astronomy: October 2006 Archives

What a wonderful idea!

REYKJAVIK (Reuters) - Iceland's capital and several towns plunged into darkness on Thursday as street lights were turned off for people to get a better view of the night sky.

"All the streets lights are off, we can see a few stars," said writer Andri Snaer Magnason, speaking by telephone from the darkened streets of downtown Reykjavik, Iceland's capital and home to about 200,000 people.

"I would have liked to have a completely clear sky, but you can't have everything. But it was nice," he added.

Magnason got the idea as a way to launch a film festival on the north Atlantic island, but said he had dreamt for years of doing such a thing.

An astronomer gave a commentary on national radio on what people could see in the half hour the lights were out.

Lights go off in Iceland, clouds dim sky for star gazers - washingtonpost.com