Imagine nighttime without electric lights. For ages, people knew darkness and the starlit sky intimately. But since the late 19th century, we have been bathing the nocturnal hours in light, creating whole cities where residents rarely see the stars. In this Emmy-nominated documentary, filmmaker Ian Cheney seeks out the still-dark places on earth and asks what illuminating the world has done to human health and imagination. Did our curiosity atrophy once we started spending less time contemplating the night sky’s grandeur? Monday, Aug. 12, at 10 p.m., PBS; check local listings
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Critics' choice: 2025 James Beard Award winnersFeature Featuring a casually elegant restaurant, recipes nearly lost to war, and more
-
How will Trump's spending bill impact student loans?the explainer Here's what the Republicans' domestic policy bill means for current and former students
-
Can the US economy survive Trump's copper tariffs?Today's Big Question The price hike 'could upend' the costs of cars, houses and appliances
