As I have to care for my mother, it is not easy for me to observe away from home. Therefore, I do 99% of my observing in our rear garden. Unfortunately, my peaceful hobby, which harms absolutely on one and is totally non-polluting, is absolutely devastated by the light-pollution which pervades all areas of Middlesborough. A recent satellite photo of Europe at night shows that, size for size, the Teeside Conurbation is amongst the most light polluted places on earth. Whilst I accept that the conurbation is still heavily industrialised, I cannot understand why suburban gardens have to be illuminated from dusk until dawn. If householders wish to have security lighting, then why cannot it be of the type that is triggered by movement (even if it is usually a marauding cat). Additionally, a sports ground near to us blasts a wedge of grey-blue light wastefully into the sky evening after evening, whilst a school in the opposite direction has security lighting which does nothing to make the school any more secure. In fact, Middlesborough still comes out near the top of the nation-wide crime figure leagues.

  During the year 2002 I observed from home with my telescope on 72 occasions. Of these, only five evenings could be classed as acceptable with regard to light pollution, and that simply because I waited until after midnight when much of the security lighting in the area seems to be dormant.

  On five occasions in 2003 I observed away from home. No matter how I tried, I never seemed to be able to get away from a village or farm that was not blasting light into the sky.

  As far as 2003 goes, there have been no clear evenings where the light pollution has been low enough to make observing worthwhile. Little wonder then that astronomy magazine adverts are full of telescopes advertised as "unwanted gifts".

  Moving now to a more general view. The following paragraphs have been typed from the March (2003) issue of the American produced astronomy magazine "Sky and Telescope". This is from a report of a meeting of the International Dark-sky Association (IDA), which was held in the Boston area of Massachusetts, USA, last October (2002).

"Ongoing research has shown that bright lights at night can disrupt our circadian rhythm and result in a host of medical disorders including breast cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and a weakened immune system. At the meeting, George Brainard (Thomas Jefferson University) demonstrated how our body stops producing melatonin—an important hormone that affects sleep, ageing and reproduction—when exposed to even a tenth of a foot-candle of certain wavelengths of light. Richard Stevens (University of Connecticut Health Centre) pointed out that `the risk of breast cancer in non-industrialised nations is one-fifth that of industrialised nations'. He summarised six studies that find artificial lights at night could be a significant contributor to that risk factor."

"Joan Roberts (Fordham University) listed hormones that our body produces during periods of light and darkness, and showed how studies are leading to the development of chronotherapy, the co-ordination of treatment with the time of day. For example, administering chemotherapy drugs at night seems to be more effective than in the daytime, since the body's immune system tends to be more active at that time. This finding might seem new to modern-day physicians, but as Roberts made clear with a quote from an ancient medical text, it is a practice which was well understood by Chinese medical practitioners thousands of years ago."

"Chip Harrison (Cherry Springs State Park) told the audience how his Pennsylvania park is treating dark skies as a natural resource that needs to be preserved and managed. Cherry Springs has joined other `enlightened' parks in working to maintain the public's right to unspoiled views of the universe."

"Bob Crelin (Lighting by Branford/Glarebuster) compared photographs of graffiti-covered walls in brightly lit areas and graffiti-free walls in darker spots on the same school campus to show that security lights don't automatically deter vandalism. This notion was reinforced by criminologist, Timothy Crowe (TDC & Associates), who asserted that `poor lights and poor designs led to feelings of insecurity.' Peter Boyce (Lighting Research Centre) presented data that show people don't feel safer at lighting levels of more than five foot-candles, debunking the `more-is-better' myth that pervades night-time lighting practices."

  The meeting of the IDA ended with the statement that the future for dark skies (in America) looks "bright"!

  Modern astronomical guide books state that the farthest we can see with the naked eye is the Andromeda Galaxy some 2.25 million light years away. Using my £1,600 refracting telescope in my garden, I cannot even begin to find this galaxy!

  Have the pristine Acklam skies of my childhood gone for ever?