It is only natural that Light Pollution be one of my interests. As an electrical engineer I design lighting for commercial buildings. This makes me realize how much of a problem light pollution can become. I am not an environmental radical, however I feel for far too long we have been using poor lighting in our designs which unnecessarily contribute to the problem. In the not too distant future it may be impossible to view the milkyway even from rural areas. An entire generation may not even enjoy the mysteries of the night sky. Also in an era of "green" thinking and energy conservation, the wasted light needs to be curtailed if for no other reason than to help limit the electrical consumption and therefore the production of green house gases.

Arkansas being a mostly a rural state has less light pollution than other states, yet it is surprising how much of a problem it really presents. Of course, having a high humidity most of the year contributes to the problem, but even on clear, dry nights our astronomy club site, the Central Arkansas Astronomical Society , has an increasing problem with bright "light domes" from near by towns. I recently spent an entire night photographing the horizon. As you can see our skies are not as dark as they should be for a dark sky site. I have noticed that even in our state and federal parks lights are being installed, even though these areas are supposed to be kept "natural". On a recent visit to Blanchard Springs Campground in north central Arkansas, I observed that the large field which I had always used for stargazing now has a very bright sodium light fixture installed on a nearby bathroom. I encourage you to check out the International Dark Sky Organization web site. I have used their slide material to give programs on light pollution to groups of engineers as well as to astronomy organizations. I encourage you to check out this resource and even support them with membership. It is ironic that the brightest beacons of the universe, the stars themselves, can be obscured by ugly wasted lighting. If we don't fight back, then we have no right to complain when the beautiful heavens fade and finally disappear.

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