Noites menos brancas em Braga – Guided Visit

On February 22nd, at 6pm, the guided tour “Noites menos brancas em Braga” [Not as white nights in Braga] will take place, as part of the ITINERARIUM program. The program is coordinated by Braga’s City Council, with this session being organized by Prof. Dr. Raul Cerveira Lima and Passeio. Here’s a synopsis of the event:

 

“Light pollution – the nightly light of anthropogenic origin, with relevant impacts on ecosystems, the night sky and public health – has been increasing progressively and Braga is no exception to this trend, with an  aggravating factor being that the new dominant light is white. This increase, however, is neither desirable nor necessary. In this visit, we’ll talk about alternatives to current public and private lighting and how light pollution can be substantially reduced, restoring starry skies to the city, improving the quality of life of residents and benefiting local and regional biodiversity. whilst stimulating the renewal of the gaze, less dazzled and more attentive to the city’s cultural heritage.”

 

Meeting point: Campo da Vinha

 

The event is admission-free. To participate, you must register at the following  link.

 

Biographical note:

Raul Cerveira PS Lima (b. 1969) is a lecturer (“Professor Adjunto”) of Physics at the Escola Superior de Saúde do Politécnico do Porto (ESS | PPorto) since 1998 and member of the Institute for Astrophysics and Space Sciences (IA) since 2021. He has a degree (“licenciado”) in Physics/Applied Mathematics (Astronomy) from FCUP, a master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering (FEUP) and a PhD in Physics Engineering (Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the University of Coimbra), with a thesis on light pollution (radiative transfer, modelling of the propagation of artificial light in the atmosphere) and on the increase in artificial sky brightness, also his current research areas. Member of the Inter-Division B-C Commission Protection of Existing and Potential Observatory Sites of the IAU (International Astronomical Union) and member of the Sociedade Portuguesa de Astronomia (SPA). Member of international multidisciplinary research networks (REECL – Red Española de Estudios en Contaminación Lumínica, LoNNe – Loss of the Night Network [COST Action ES1204]) and collaborator of the Photonics4Life group – University of Santiago de Compostela, among others.

Besides his research and scientific articles as author or co-author, and the participation on conferences and instructor of short courses on light pollution, he also published several articles in the press in the same field. Organizer and collaborator in awareness-raising activities and on the definition of policies and regulations for artificial light at night in Portugal and Europe. Has several works on site assessment, including the assessment of the region of the lake Alqueva for the application as a Starlight Tourism Destination dark sky reserve. Among other advisory activities, he was a member of the working group for the definition of the Public Lighting Management Plan for the municipality of Porto, guided by the Porto Energy Agency (Agência de Energia do Porto). Coordinator of the citizen science initiative ELP – Education on Light Pollution (included in the project H2020 #688135, Stars4All), in partnership with Galician researchers and astronomical associations. Founding member of the Galician-Portuguese Forum Calidade da Noite. He was director of FAPAS (Fundo para a Protecção dos Animais Selvagens) and editor of the quarterly magazine Tribuna da Natureza, of which he was also co-founder.