Hello Friend,

There's a battle going on.

But it may be one that you are not really aware of.

      In the background, many groups and organizations such as the Royal astronomical Society of Canada and
the International dark sky association for example, are fighting on your behalf on a regular basis.

How?

By  approaching cities, townships and provinces and states to amend local by-laws, so that the usage of light fixtures
whether it's to light up a parking lot, or a big box store, is kept to a minimum and also pointing downwards
instead of upwards.

With the constant new development of both LED light technology, and also light reflector designs
it can and does make a difference.

    The town of Richmond Hill, Ontario was one of the first to ever institute such by-laws when the David
Dunlap Observatory was in full operation several years ago.

    This was back in the early 1970's, when Professor Tom Bolton (who also happened to confirm the
existence of Cygnus X-1, as a black hole).

Change comes slowly, but it's happening and that's the good thing.

   When you think of  the many folks, and children especially that live in a big city, and will never have
seen the stars, or been aware of them, due to so much light pollution, you realize that the sense of wonder
and awe many of us have as amateur astronomers is taken for granted sometimes.

Something to think about.

Clear Skies,

Ray Khan