Growing up on a farm in country Victoria, Dean Stewart never wondered what the night sky looked like: it was impossible to miss.
“The sky was as dark as anything and it just jumped out at you,” he says.
“You walked outside and the sky was just singing at you.
“I always had the passion to look up.”
That childhood wonder has carried into adulthood. Today, Dean is a member of the Brisbane Astronomical Society, helping run monthly public telescope nights and sharing deep-space imagery captured largely from his Sunshine Coast backyard.
Dean’s astrophotography has drawn local attention, with several of his images recently displayed on screens at the Sunshine Coast Council building.
“It was quite a compliment,” Dean says.
But for him, the recognition is about more than personal achievement.
It’s a way to shine a light on a bigger issue: the disappearing night sky.
“There are people in the states in Florida who’ve never seen the night sky … it’s just orange,” Dean says. “People pay to have holidays at the Grand Canyon … not to see the Grand Canyon but to have a full night sky.”
More than 80 per cent of the world’s population lives under light-polluted skies, and 90 per cent for those living in the US or Europe.
On the Sunshine Coast, Dean is hopeful. Sunshine Coast Council is proposing to establish a Dark Sky Reserve in the hinterland, encompassing almost 900 square kilometres in the Mary River catchment and adjoining national parks in our local government area.
This would provide ways to reduce light pollution and contribute to an increased number of stars visible at night.
The council asked the community for feedback on the Draft Lighting Management Plan, which guides the selection, placement, installation and operation of lighting in the reserve.
It will guide decisions on new lighting or lighting that is replaced or retro-fitted.
“Specifications in the Draft Lighting Management Plan, once finalised, would be mandatory for all council-managed lighting in the proposed reserve area,” a Sunshine Coast Council spokesperson says.
“It also details responsible lighting principles that will be encouraged for others who manage lighting in the area, including Energex, state bodies and our community.”
The council proposes to present the project, including recent engagement outcomes, technical documentation and an application to Dark Sky International to establish the proposed reserve.
The proposal is up for councillor consideration early in 2026.
Light pollution is not just an astronomical concern.
It also affects human health.
The world’s largest study on light exposure and its impact on mental health, with almost 87,000 participants, has found that increased exposure to light at night increases a person’s risk of psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, bipolar and PTSD severity, as well as self-harm.
Led by Associate Professor Sean Cain, of the Monash School of Psychological Sciences and the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health in Melbourne, the study “could have a potentially huge societal impact”.
“Once people understand that their light exposure patterns have a powerful influence on their mental health, they can take some simple steps to optimise their wellbeing,” Associate Professor Cain says.
“It’s about getting bright light in the day and darkness at night.”
For Dean, this reinforces the urgency of protecting dark skies.
Dean’s love for the stars extends into the painstaking craft of astrophotography.
One of his favourite images, captured at the Maleny Observatory in January, shows the Orion Nebula in breathtaking detail.
“The Orion is my favourite … it surpassed my expectations,” he says.
Together with Dr Paul Baker, Dean spent two nights capturing nebulae in Orion’s ‘Saucepan’: a star-forming region about 1300 light-years away.
The hydrogen- and helium-rich clouds, laced with remnants of older stars, are continually sculpted by gravity, giving rise to hundreds of newly forming stars.
But producing such crisp cosmic landscapes is far from simple.
“The challenging part is working around the weather on the Sunshine Coast,” he says.
“There might be clouds or some serious wind or humidity which causes a lot of turbulence.”
Each photo requires hours of patient exposures, careful stacking and meticulous processing.
“There’s a ton of stuff that goes into it and I’ve spent thousands of dollars on equipment over the years,” he says.
Despite the technical challenges, Dean encourages everyone to “just look up”.
The Brisbane Astronomical Society hosts monthly public telescope nights on the Coast, giving locals a chance to experience the universe first-hand.
For Dean, the night sky is more than science: it’s a reminder of our connection to the cosmos.
“We’re all part of the universe. The abundant elements in the universe are what makes us up as well,” he says.
“When they say you’re made of stardust, it’s actually correct.”
Australian science commentator Karl Kruszelnicki confirms: “… four elements – hydrogen, oxygen, carbon and nitrogen – account for more than 99 per cent of all your atoms, and 96 per cent of your mass.
“It’s true that about 86 per cent of our mass is stardust: almost certainly we each carry at least a few million atoms of gold inside us; and yes, the carbon atoms we carry are mostly many billions of years old.”
Protecting the night sky, Dean argues, is not just about preserving beauty.
It’s about preserving wonder, science and a vital connection to the universe.
To get involved, visit the Brisbane Astronomical Society website or the Sunshine Coast Astronomy Facebook page.
fast facts
Sunshine Coast residents overwhelmingly support efforts to reduce light pollution:
- 94 per cent think it is important or very important to preserve dark skies in their community
- 91 per cent agreed or strongly agreed with the Draft Lighting Management Plan’s purpose and objectives
- 89 per cent are likely or extremely likely to change their lighting habits to help protect our night skies.
This backs up initial community feedback in 2024, when more than 95 per cent of 1200 survey respondents supported protecting dark skies for future generations.
