authorized scientific research . Right after authorized lighting activities are finished , they must be immediately removed . Since the year of 2012 , after hiring park rangers to State Parks , there has been a significant increase in environmental education activities in the state protected areas . Annually , 30 to 40 schools are visited , with over 3,000 students in average . Visitors aiming to enjoy the Dark Sky experience are encouraged to do it through the implementation of the Astronomical Program , created and developed by INEA , promoting activities such as stargazing and hiking under the dark sky . Visitors can follow the quarterly monitoring activities of light pollution of Desengano State Park . Another activity conducted by the Clube the Astronomia Louis Cruls is the “ Outdoor Planetarium ”. In an open amphitheater , people are invited to identify the planets and the main visible constellations . A green laser is used to help people with the identification of constellations and planets . The Clube de Astronomia Louis Cruls offers training courses for new park rangers , visitor guides , students from local schools and universities . The training covers the following topics : cosmology , stellar evolution , solar system , history of space conquest , observational astronomy , and the importance of preserving the dark sky . On June 26 , 2022 , the State Program for Astronomical Observation of the State of Rio de Janeiro , the “ Vem Ver o Céu ”, was launched . Coordinated by INEA , the initiative aims to sensitize visitors to light pollution , subsidize scientific research , encourage astrophotography , and promote environmental education in the community . Based on the program , the Protected Areas managed by the INEA and the Private Reserves will have a calendar of recurrent educational and astronomical observation activities ,
in addition to the production of technical-scientific knowledge on the subject . The title of Dark Sky Park for the Desengano State Park had a huge impact and brought the theme of light pollution to the daily lives of residents of the three cities covered by the park and neighboring cities . The initial results achieved renew hopes that new generations will have the opportunity to observe the night sky without the interference of excessive artificial lighting and that there will be places where they will have the opportunity to marvel at the beauties of the night sky without the interference of artificial lighting .
ABOUT THE ARTICLE CONTRIBUTORS : Carlos Dario Moreira is the park manager of Desengano State Park . Samir Mansur Santos is the park ranger coordinator of Desengano State Park . João Rafael Gomes de Almeida Marins is a biologist at DIRBAPE . Letícia Lütke Riski is with Federal University of Rio de Janeiro . Sky ’ s Up Editor Marcelo de Oliveira Souza is a professor at the Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense .