[AZ-Observing] AZ Republic Editorial: Starry, starry fight threatens dark skies

[Greg Askins <gregaskins@xxxxxxx>]

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/0306sun1 
-06.html

Starry, starry fight threatens dark skies

  Mar. 6, 2005 12:00 AM

  A starry night in the desert. Awe-inspiring. Breathtaking. And worth  
millions of dollars.

  Dark, clear skies are some of our rarest natural resources. They make  
Arizona a premier location for astronomy. Observatories and their  
spinoffs, including optical science, are big business for the state.

  Yet the Legislature is considering two bills that threaten our dark  
skies.

  House Bills 2461 and 2462 would loosen the rules on billboards,  
opening the way to large, extremely bright electronic signs.

  You don't need a research degree to understand that the more light a  
place has, the less you see of the heavens. Just consider how many  
stars you spot up at the Grand Canyon compared with the Valley.

  "There are only a few areas of the world that are uniquely well suited  
to astronomy," says Richard Green, director of the Kitt Peak National  
Observatory. With dry weather and mountaintops where the air flow is  
relatively smooth, northern and southern Arizona are two of them.

  Legislators should protect these valuable resources. Not undermine  
them.

  The economic potential is huge.

  International consortiums are investing $150 million to build two  
state-of-the-art telescopes in Arizona.

  Astronomy pulls in large research grants. Just one facility at the  
University of Arizona, the Steward Observatory, received $84 million in  
grants in 2004.

  The science is not only lucrative but exciting. And it opens  
opportunities for Arizona students and researchers

  The Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory, for instance, has four giant  
reflectors under construction on Kitt Peak to study gamma rays. The  
origin of the rays is violent and mysterious: maybe from something  
being swallowed by a black hole or a star annihilating itself.

  Local governments have taken steps to control the light pollution that  
could wipe out our astronomy industry. A key strategy is to shield or  
position fixtures so that the light goes straight out or down - putting  
the illumination where we need it and not sending stray light into the  
sky.

  The rules work.

  The amount of light in the night sky used to be growing in southern  
Arizona right along with the population. Now, the population is still  
increasing, but the light pollution isn't.

  As Green sums it up: "What we need is well-designed lighting,  
appropriate to the area it's in."

  The proposals at the Legislature flunk that standard.

  There's no limit on how bright the signs could be, no requirement to  
shield the light and no limits to protect sensitive areas close to  
observatories.

  It may be time to update and clarify what type of signs can be placed  
along state highways. But the legislation must be written in  
conjunction with astronomers to protect Arizona's rare and valuable  
resource. Neighborhood groups, which have their own concerns about  
signs, should also have a voice.

  Arizonans must be aggressive about preserving dark skies.

  If we're not, we'll end up like Southern California.

  Founded in 1904, Mount Wilson Observatory outside of Pasadena was once  
home to the world's largest telescopes. But with all the light from the  
surrounding area, researchers are now very limited in what they can do  
and a lot of funding has dried up.

  No single project or type of light caused the problems at Mount Wilson.

  But it all added up.

  If there's a shortage of billboards and illuminated signs in Arizona,  
we haven't noticed it.

  The night sky, however, is a rare and limited resource. We'd be  
foolish not to protect it.





  

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[AZ-Observing] AZ Republic Editorial: Starry, starry fight threatens dark skies