International Dark-Sky Assn.
I encourage you to read the letter below, which was just published in
The Reflector, the journal of the Astronomical League. In it, John Goss, president of the Astronomical League, Peter Tyson, editor-in-chief of
Sky & Telescope, and myself have signed a letter urging astronomy enthusiasts to take action against light pollution. The vanishing night sky is a threat to everyone’s enjoyment of and understanding of the universe we inhabit.
We jointly strongly ask you to communicate with and support the
International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), the Tucson-based group that is fighting every day to preserve our night sky. Please find out how your community plans to implement future lighting, communicate with IDA, and join IDA. It is a battle that we must win.
Right now, only about 1 out of every 100 amateur astronomers is a member of IDA. That is shameful.
Thanks to IDA’s Kelly Beatty, an old friend, for pushing this process along. And stay tuned for coverage of dark-sky preservation issues in future editions of
Astronomy.
Here’s more information IDA.
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