Sky & Telescope November 2002 [antikvár]

^ Dark Days for Dark Nightshe editors of Sky Telescope, and quite a few of our other staffers too, are stargazers, telescope makers, researchers, and/or astrophotographers. Because we love astronomy, and because we love sharing it with others, we feel that one of our roles at the magazine is to advocate for the science and the hobby in the world at large. One way we do this is by supporting efforts toreduce light pollution, the artificial skyglow caused by illuminating the underbellies of airplanes instead of directing all our nighttime lighting onto the ground, where we need it. According to one recent study, 99 percent of U.S. and European residents have a diminished view of the stars {ST: December 2001, page 24). Most of us cannot see the Milky Way, This does not bode well for astronomy's future.I'm thinking about light pollution now for two reasons. First, thanks to a decade-long effort by state representative James Marzilli Jr. and local amateur astronomers (including several 5ár editors), the legislature here in Massachusetts is on the verge of passing an outdoor-lighting bill. It mandates that when state funds are used to install new outdoor lights or to replace old ones, "full-cutoff" fixtures {ones that don't send light directly into the sky) must be used. By the time you read this, the bill should have been signed by Acting Governor Jane Swift.Second, this year's annual meeting of the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) is being held in Boston in late October. This will be the first time in its 13-year history that the IDA convenes outside its home city of Tucson, Arizona. S&.T is helping to plan the program; see www.darksky.org for details.The battle against light pollution has come a long way in recent years. Astronomers are no longer fighting alone. Having discovered that glare from poorly shielded lights can harm wildUfe, environmentalists have gotten into the act. The same goes for health-care professionals, who are becoming increasingly concerned about the adverse affects of glary nighttime lighting on humans. Politicians are finally listening to the argument that full-cutoff lights save money (because no light gets wasted, lower-wattage bulbs often suffice). And the lighting industry is designing more dark-sky-friendly fixtures in response to the increasing demand for them.All this is truly heartening. But one thing puzzles me: If Sky Telescope has more than 200,000 regular readers, why does the IDA have fewer than 10,000 members? Sales of premium-priced telescopes and accessories are booming. 1 don't understand why any astronomy enthusiast willing to spend serious money on the hobby would hesitate to join the IDA for a measly $30 a year. As the saying goes, "If not us, who? If not now, when?"