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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Circulating now, is an Online Petition for a Darker sky day and limiting light pollution:

To: President George W. Bush and Members of Congress

Subject: National Dark-Sky Day

We, the undersigned, represent those who have been inspired by the beauty that is the night sky. Yet, the night sky is disappearing at an alarming rate due to a preventable condition called "light pollution." (Excessive man-made light that inhibits one’s ability to see anything more than the moon and the brightest of planets and stars) Countless millions of children from non-rural areas have never seen the Milky Way, a comet, a meteor shower, or any other astronomical event or object which has regularly inspired so many throughout history.

We need that kind of inspiration. The science of Astronomy has been the foundation for some of mankind’s greatest achievements like the lunar landings, un-manned missions to other planets, the Hubble Space Telescope, and so much more. Likewise, it has inspired philosophers, authors, artists, and inventors. By setting this one day aside each year, perhaps in conjunction with the Leonid meteor shower, you give teachers and astronomers the opportunity to inspire the next generation of citizens through education while bringing a more widespread awareness and understanding of the disappearing night sky through light pollution.

Let us not lose what the night sky has given to so many. Let us set one day aside as National Dark-Sky Day.

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Please do visit the site and sign the petition: www.petitiononline.com/darksky1/petition.html

[stargazer]

I have signed this. Who else has.

B

[NatureDevil]

Eh....this is one of those things I agree with, in that I hate light pollution and prefer much darker skies (which I'll get to see when I go to Australia in a few months) but don't want to ask the government to do anything about it.

The government isn't the biggets provider of light, it is businesses and homes and heavily populated areas....and the last thing we need is the U.S. government to have an excuse to initiate a mandatory "lights out" curfew on cities, or a cap put on electricity being used (go over your limit and they shut the power off for the rest of the month) or whatever ridiculous garbage the government comes up with to try to "fix" or "solve" the solution.

My solution: go someplace far away from light. Far easier than asking the government to do something about it and less risky.

NatureDevil

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Well, I do not expect the government to ever carry out the request, but the effort only to create an awareness of the problem.

The problem is with ignorant light sources, beaming light up unto billboards, unshielded street lamps and un-necessary illumination. Many sympathetic municipalities have regulated the lighting situations in their communities, and I would like to see better, smarter and sympathetic lighting in our cities.

Government change things drastically....naw. But maybe we can start the awareness campaign, and perhaps save the skies for the next generation.

I support the dark sky movement.

[stargazer]

I personally think we need to look towards the future. What will the Astronomers that are growing up now have when they get to be our age. Yes I have a three year old that is in training and I do wonder what kind of skies she will have. We have to protect them for her and others that will some day follow in our footsteps. We all talk about how lousey the skies are now justimange what they will be like in say 20 years if we dont stop the light pollution now. Will we have any more nice dark sky sights that we can go to or will the only observing be done on the computer?

But who am I just a lonely Astronomer who is trying to finish some certs for fun and trying to teach my daughter and many other children all about the wonderful night sky. Just my 2 cents worth.

[NatureDevil]

Hopefully your kid, when she is our age (your ages? I am 25), will be studying stellar cartography from the NASA Mars Space and Research Center on Mars itself.

Just a warming thought.

Hey, if I ever get to Australia I will definitly send pictures. According to my guy, when he moved to America 20 years ago, he was depressed at the fact that all the stars in the sky were gone. "What the hell happened to them?" he asked. I'll go back and find them!

NatureDevil

[Maddad]

Good morning people. This is my first post. I'm not sure that this is the right forum for me. You're mostly observational astronomers; astronomy theory is what turns my crank.

www.maddad.org/astronomy/images/earth-lights01a.jpg
About dark skies though, you may be very disappointed if most of you come from Chicago. There are none in the eastern half of the USA.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Dave,

Thx for your first post and sharing that night time view of the Earth. Whenever I see it, I just have to pause and study it. Amazing that major highways can be seen and the influence we have on the environment. I look for the dark areas of the Earth, imagining setting up equipment in the middle of the Sahara, in the Amazon, Siberia or in the Antarctic. A isolated observation post in the middle of an ocean would be great as well.

Chicago Astronomers are interested in all aspects of astronomy from observational & theory to astrophysics and astro biology.

So, at your preferenece, post away on string theory, M factor or the Oscillating Universe, as well as anything else...it's all cool!

[Maddad]

Joe
On the "What kind of Astronomer are you?" I tossed out several ideas that I've posted on in the last three years or so. If I get a bite on one of them I'll talk about it.

Are you guys mostly from Chicago? I've passed thrugh O'Hare a couple of times when bouncing back and forth between coasts. I got unconfortably close when I took my Air Force training at Chanute outside the town of Rantoul, near Champaign-Urbanna. Fortunately I survived the experience.