Lunarpunk

Imagine a world where solar panels continue to harness energy even when the sun isn’t shining. It sounds like science fiction, but advancements in technology are making this a reality. The idea of solar panels that work at night is not just an intriguing concept; it is a groundbreaking innovation poised to revolutionize the renewable energy landscape. This development could potentially bridge the gap in renewable energy production, offering a continuous source of clean power. As we explore this exciting innovation, we delve into the mechanisms, potential applications, and impact on our future energy needs.

Nocturnal solar panels might sound like a paradox, but they are based on a simple yet innovative principle. These panels utilize the concept of radiative cooling, where they emit infrared radiation to the cold night sky, creating a temperature difference. This temperature gradient can then generate electricity through thermoelectric generators. The idea is to harness the thermal energy that naturally occurs when objects release heat, allowing solar panels to produce electricity even in the absence of sunlight. This ingenious approach not only extends the functionality of solar panels but also opens new avenues for energy production.

By 2030, a California startup called Reflect Orbital wants to fill the night sky with 4,000 orbiting mirrors that bounce sunlight back to Earth.

The plan is to use what essentially amounts to space-based disco balls to keep solar farms glowing after dark. The company swears it’s the next step in renewable energy. Astronomers and ecologists disagree.

The project’s first test run, a satellite named EARENDIL-1, is slated for launch in 2026. It’ll unfold a 3,600-square-foot mirror in orbit to reflect sunlight toward targeted solar farms. Reflect Orbital promises “continuous, reliable access to energy, day or night, to increase power generation.”

Astronomers warn that an army of orbiting mirrors would effectively make it “full Moon bright” every night, drowning out faint celestial objects. That’s catastrophic for observatories and not great for wildlife either. Countless species depend on natural darkness to migrate, feed, and reproduce.

Reflect Orbital’s FCC application is still pending. If approved, it could mark the dawn of a new era of perpetual daylight that will disrupt earthly nightlife as never before.

How do you community members feel about this? The article links to more details on The Conversation

In the evolving narrative of speculative futures, Lunarpunk emerges as a mystical counterpart to the bright, optimistic vision of Solarpunk. While Solarpunk imagines a future where humanity thrives in harmony with nature under the warm embrace of the sun, Lunarpunk explores a world where the moonlight guides us into deeper connections with the earth, the self, and the cosmos. It is a movement that delves into the shadows, embracing the mysteries of the night, the cycles of nature, and the esoteric knowledge that has long been associated with the moon.

Lunarpunk is not merely an aesthetic choice or a variation of Solarpunk's ecological utopia; it is a worldview that places spiritual connection at its core. Followers of Lunarpunk recognize the natural world not as a resource to be managed or exploited, but as a living, breathing entity with which we are intimately connected. This perspective calls for a deep attunement to the Earth’s natural rhythms—those of the tides, the lunar cycles, the growth and decay of life in the shadows.

In Lunarpunk, the environment is sacred, and its patterns are seen as guides for how we should live our lives. This is reflected in a lifestyle that values harmony with the natural world, but one that also acknowledges and honors the darkness, the unknown, and the mystical aspects of existence. The world of Lunarpunk is illuminated not by the harsh, rational light of the sun but by the soft, introspective glow of the moon, bioluminescent flora, and the enchanting hues of twilight.

Where Solarpunk often focuses on collective action and societal transformation, Lunarpunk turns inward, emphasizing the individual’s journey towards gnosis—a deep, personal knowledge of the divine. This gnostic approach is about more than intellectual understanding; it is about direct, experiential knowledge of the mysteries that lie beyond the surface of everyday reality.

Author Jendia Gammon wrote on Bluesky:

This is the sequel to my Nebula and BSFA finalist, young adult Lunarpunk novel, THE INN AT THE AMETHYST LANTERN (writing as J. Dianne Dotson)

Author/critic Kara Dennison states in her review:

Much like its predecessor, The Secret of the Sapphire Sentinel is the kind of post-apocalyptic story we need in this day and age: one full of hope for the future. The ongoing story of Glimmerbright presents a future world that isn't just survivable; it's colorful, exciting, and brimming with life. Nor does this book ever talk down to its younger readers, tackling the difficult in-between teenage years when we aren't sure whether it's us changing dramatically or everyone else. Equal parts futuristic sci-fi, whimsical fantasy, and teen romance, this is a worthy successor to The Inn at the Amethyst Lantern.

Available from Android Press

In one of my most recent trips we came upon a park late at night. There were hammocks and benches, chairs, even grass spots with blankets and cloths. The amphitheatre was beautiful though as the inner part had projectors project into the inner part, and speakers that would work with the acoustics.

I stood inside and was not blinded by the projectors. I was comfortable at the tables.

It was beautiful and peaceful to see.

Jewel Changi Airport

Posted on Bluesky at : https://bsky.app/profile/eonityart.bsky.social/post/3lxwfqo5nm22d

Beachgoers in Melbourne have been treated to the “cosmic and magical” sight of bioluminescent algae off St Kilda beach this week.

Richard Pensak, a marine biologist at local environment group Earthcare St Kilda, spotted the bright pink-coloured cloud in the water on Sunday, and immediately knew what it was.

When he returned to the water after dark, crowds had already gathered to see the “really pretty and sparkly” spectacle.

Chinese scientists turned succulents into glow-in-the-dark, rechargeable lights that shine in a variety of colors.

These are not the first bioluminescent houseplants, Nature noted: A genetically modified petunia that glows green went on sale in the US last year.

The new work takes a different approach, enabling the plants to shine in a variety of different colors, including blue, red, and purple. To make the fluorescent succulents, the team injected the plants with phosphor particles that can absorb energy from light at one wavelength, store some of it, and then re-emit it at another wavelength, similar to how glow-in-the-dark paint works.

The researchers say they hope their technique could be used to design sustainable, plant-based lighting.

The longest total lunar eclipse since 2022. Totality will be visible from Australia, Asia, Africa, and Europe—around 85% of the world’s population has a chance to see this eclipse.

People are typically called to magic in an attempt to reclaim power during particularly oppressive times. A surging interest in witchcraft is “always simultaneous to a downsurge in quality of life, an upsurge in right-wing persecution, and heightened scarcity,” said writer and witch Alice Tarbuck. “[Practicing] witchcraft can happen in the privacy of your own home and with very little. It can just be you, your thoughts, and your will. It is a way of feeling in control.”

It’s no surprise, then, that the history of witchcraft and the history of resistance and activism are deeply intertwined, especially in Black, brown, and Indigenous communities. Hoodoo, for example, was maintained by African slaves in the United States whose steadfast dedication to their spiritual practice served as an act of rebellion in the face of white supremacy and enforced Christianity.

The histories of Jamaican Obeah and Vodou, which is rooted in Haitian culture, are intrinsically linked to histories of protest. In Haiti, Vodou played a significant role in the slave rebellions that ultimately led to the country’s independence, while Nanny of the Maroons—a Jamaican revolutionary and renowned Obeah woman—led an uprising against British colonial forces in the 1700s. “Nanny of the Maroons defeated the British… using guerrilla warfare tactics, but she was also an Obeah woman,” said Emma Kathryn, a practitioner of witchcraft. “[Across the Caribbean,] there’s a history of magical practice being used as physical acts of resistance.”

The Yoruba divination system of Ifá is another spiritual practice renowned for its history of protest. This stems in part from its Òrìṣà entities, revered as protectors and warriors against violence—such as Ogun, the Òrìṣà of war and iron, who was called upon by Haitian revolutionaries during ritual ceremonies. Just as Hoodoo, Vodou, and Obeah are revered for facilitating survival over centuries, Ifá’s longevity is a powerful example of magical resistance. “The fact that we as a people have survived physically is its own magic,” said Janique Dennis-Prescott, an educator at the University of the West Indies, in an interview with The Repair Campaign. “The fact that we have Ifá in so many places where we have found ourselves. Magic.”

Light pollution has risen in recent years, mainly due to urban expansion, the proliferation of artificial lighting and the use of LED technologies, which allows to emit more light at the same cost. Artificial lights at night disturb many diurnal and nocturnal species alike, causing disruptions in dark-light cycles and reproductive, foraging and orientation behavior, among other issues.

Lighting at night also impacts human health, such as by disrupting people's sleep cycles. However, debates around public lighting tend to be "all or nothing"—with residents' needs on one side and those of biodiversity on the other—and revolve around urban lighting being turned off. The Montpellier Méditerranée conurbation emits light pollution that is potentially problematic due to its proximity to the Cévennes National Park.

In a study published in the journal Nature Cities, researchers conducted a spatial analysis of species' needs for reduced light pollution and acceptance among urban residents of changing public lighting.

Writer Ratika Deshpande states:

I will always mourn the slow death of our view of the night sky and all it contains. I was very young when I last saw countless stars above me in a small village in central India. Now, about two decades later, even those remote places have dimmed, their stars having disappeared from view thanks to light pollution.

But that early experience was enough to make me seek them out compulsively every time I step out in the night, even when I’m in the city because what if this time I can see them all again?

I wasn’t made for studying hard science, so my fascination towards space pulled me towards fantasy instead. Instead of going up there to study celestial bodies, I try to bring them closer by writing about them (when the Muse is generous) and hunting for stories about them. Here’s a selection of some favorites.

These glowing plants are bioluminescent petunias, bioengineered by scientists at Light Bio. You can now not only buy the Firefly Petunias on the Light Bio website, but they are also available to purchase in store at more than 200 US retailers. This comes after online sales proved the popularity of these remarkable plants since their release last year.

Imagine enjoying a starry and fragrant night in the garden of shadow and moonlight. As daylight pollinators are settling down to rest, night pollinators appear for a feeding fest. Night pollinators are drawn by the eerie charm of pale flowers blooming at night. Many people only think of gardens as something to enjoy during the daylight, but moon gardens can be enjoyed during the night and attract night pollinators such as nectar feeding bats and moths. Night pollinators are attracted to the lighter colored and heavily fragrant flowers of night blooming plants like evening primrose and cacti, such as the saguaro. Moon gardens can also attract insects that will invite insect feeding bats.

archive.org

One evening, while walking through the forest in Albisrieden, a neighborhood in Zurich, the duo observed some green light through their camera. Sometimes the fungi's bioluminescence is so weak it cannot be seen with the naked eye. "Nowadays we always have our mobile phones or a flashlight, but to see bioluminescence in the forest, it has to be pitch black," says Rudolf.

The artists collected some samples of the glowing specimen thinking it was Mycena haematopus, a known bioluminescent species. Back in their well-lit studio, they realized it was another species, Mycena crocata, the saffron drop bonnet mushroom, known for its saffron-colored milk, which had not previously been described as bioluminescent.

Winter Solstice art by Anarchist artist noBonzo posted on Mastodon (@nobonzo@kolektiva.social)

There are many ways to celebrate the winter solstice, depending on your personal beliefs and traditions. Some of the most common practices include lighting candles or a bonfire to symbolize the return of the light. You could perform a release ritual to let go of what no longer serves you, or set intentions for the coming year.

Other activities might include spending time in nature, gathering twigs, greenery and betties to make a crown or craft, or baking and feasting with loved ones.

The important thing is to honor the cycles of nature, reflect on the past year, and embrace the new beginnings that the solstice brings.

In Southwestern Wisconsin, preparation is underway for Circle Sanctuary's 50th annual Yule festival. For the pagan members the church serves, it marks winter solstice, the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

On Sunday night, High Priestess Selena Fox gathered spiritual leaders on Zoom to light candles and honor the full moon.

"We draw down the power of the moon into this sacred circle, into ourselves, and into this season," she said, before breaking into song. "Yuletide joy, Yuletide cheer, Yuletide spirit, welcome here."

She invited those watching to call to mind joy from sacred seasonal plants: evergreen trees, holly, ivy and mistletoe.

On Saturday, she and several dozen others will gather around a bonfire at the sanctuary's nature preserve and throw a decorated Yule log into the fire, symbolizing the returning sun.

Fox is a Wiccan priestess, but Circle Sanctuary is inclusive of a range of pagan traditions, focusing on a spiritual connection with nature. Amid the depths of winter, Fox said Yule is a celebratory occasion to plant seeds of hope for the coming spring.

Stumbling on a piece of glowing wood out in the forest sounds like a magical experience, but it is possible. Under specific conditions, certain species of mushroom will fluoresce as they consume wood, although it’s rare and hard to recreate.

Now, scientists at Empa have managed to induce those conditions to make glow in the dark wood. The most effective combo turned out to be ringless honey fungus (Desarmillaria tabescens) and balsa wood, which was able to fluoresce for up to 10 days in wavelengths of 560 nanometers – a classic green glow.

Posted by Benjamin Young Savage on Mastodon (@benjancewicz@mastodon.social)

To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.

—Wendell Berry, The Selected Poems of Wendell Berry (1998)

(via Paul Bogard, The End of Night (2013))