I am a professional Physicist working in the semiconductor industry. Outside work my many interests include being a Parish Councillor, a Trustee of a local Charity, a committee member of the local Scout Group and an enthusiastic amateur Astronomer.

IMPACT

—  Local flight pollution limits the astronomical depth to which a naked eye observer may see. My estimate locally is about magnitude 4. The dark sky standard is about magnitude 6. This reduction in depth directly affects the freedom of everybody to view the interesting astronomical objects without expensive telescopic equipment. Locally many naked eye astronomical objects have been lost and these include the Milky Way, Andromeda Galaxy and many famous asterisms.

—  As a telescopic observer I find that the light pollution reduces the contrast of dispersed objects such as spiral galaxies rendering the detail invisible. Expensive technical solutions such as optical filters can be used with limited success since the light pollution covers much of the visible spectrum.

—  As an astrophotographer I have found that the local light pollution places a limit on the faintest object that can be imaged on film to about magnitude 13.

—  The ability of British mainland Astronomers to contribute observationally to the world of Astronomy is limited due to light pollution despite having some of the most skilled enthusiasts. Perhaps this forces British Observers to take a back seat to less "enlightened" observers from other countries.

SOLUTIONS

—  National lighting standards could be set adoption by Local Authorities.

—  Standards should be applied to both pubic and private lighting.

—  To allow standards to be enforceable and they should be based on measured light levels and not on perceived levels.

—  Efforts should be made to reduce the spectrum of the light pollution from public lighting schemes so that the efficiency of optical filtering techniques can be improved.

—  Timed lighting systems could be adopted where safety considerations allow.

—  Skyward facing spotlights should be banned. These are common outside nightclubs and are often on until the early morning hours.

—  Floodlighting of public buildings should be timed so that they turn off from late evening until daybreak.

—  A concept of lighting trespass could be defined such that the spread of light from light fixtures into adjacent properties is considered to be an invasion of privacy.

—  An ongoing plan could be established that should aim to achieve magnitude 6 naked eye observations by a specific date. Perhaps 2010.

  I hope that my personal thoughts on light pollution and Astronomy are useful to you and contribute to the deliberations of your committee.

26 April 2003