INTRODUCTION

  I am currently President of the British Astronomical Association and Editor of "The Astronomer", the combined membership of these organisations being over 3,000. In addition I have been an active observer for over 30 years using a range of instruments from 15x80 binoculars to a 0.44m reflector telescope. I also teach astronomy at evening classes for the Basingstoke College of Technology and visit schools to give talks to children from year two to secondary school teenagers.

  The British Astronomical Association (BAA) is the largest astronomical organisation in Great Britain, and takes very seriously the loss of the night sky which has occurred over the last 50 years in the UK as a result of waste upward light from poorly directed and often over-bright lights, both public and private.

  The BAA has an active section, the Campaign for Dark Skies, which works to reverse this trend and has had much success in publicising the problem.

Question 1. What has been the impact of light pollution on UK astronomy?

  Since about 1950, the night sky has gradually been invaded by waste upward light, in both urban and rural locations. The BAA has no objections to a well lit environment at night, but believes that good-quality lighting and a view of the night sky are not incompatible. A BAA survey carried out by its newly-formed Campaign for Dark Skies in 1991 concluded that "more than 90% of those who wish to see the night sky in the UK, and they are certainly not all amateur astronomers, probably suffer light pollution at least noticeable enough to hinder observation. Well over half of these would-be observers have to contend with considerable skyglow."

  Britain's largest telescopes long ago left these shores; for example, the Isaac Newton 100" reflector is now in the Canaries.

  Astronomy is unique in that amateurs still play a significant part in original research. Frequent requests are received from professional astronomers asking that amateurs monitor objects in the night sky of special interest. This is largely because time of telescopes abroad is very limited or there is an urgency of studying a new object when applications for telescope time could not be processed in time. However the increasing effect of light pollution is making it difficult for amateurs to continue fulfilling these vital tasks.

Question 2. Are current planning guidelines strong enough to protect against light pollution?

Question 3. Are planning guidelines being applied and enforced effectively?

  Many local authorities have light pollution clauses in local plans and may be aware of guidelines in Planning Policy documents, and of publications such as Lighting in the Countryside: Towards Good Practice and the Institution of Lighting Engineers' Guidance Notes for the Reduction of Light Pollution, which mention lighting as a potential problem. However, the continuing proliferation of poorly aimed public and private lighting, even on new developments, shows that such guidance is often not followed. It is widely reported to the BAA that many complainants pursuing alleviation of intrusive lighting have been told that there is nothing that can be done by councils, though some will take action and have been supportive: protection from obtrusive lighting seems to be a lottery based on one's location. It is a pity that people are driven to expensive litigation on this subject.

Question 4. Is light measurable in such a way as to make legally enforceable regulatory controls feasible?

  The measurement of light is certainly possible using luxmeters and photometers, and might be successfully carried out in the case of direct light trespass from neighbouring premises. Such direct light of course hampers astronomical observation as much as, if not more than, skyglow, the scattering of light by particles and droplets suspended in the atmosphere. However, the intensity of skyglow itself is very variable, even from night to night. Perhaps the best way to approach the measurement of skyglow is by star counts, averaged out over a period, to compare the sky over a given location to a pristine night sky in which 2,000-3,000 stars should be visible. Such star counts in a heavily light-polluted sky ought not to take very long: there are some urban sites where only a handful of the brightest stars remain visible.

Question 5.  Are further controls on the design of lighting necessary?

  Yes. "Full cut-off" lighting, with bulbs mounted well up inside the casing and a flat glass or nearly flat glass below, should be the norm on Britain's roads and streets. The Highways Agency's policy of installing such lights on trunk roads is welcomed by the Association, but far too many wasteful lamps are still manufactured and installed in other places. The advent of good-quality lighting as a norm cannot of course become a reality overnight, but an evolution towards this end will do much towards reclaiming the stars for the people of this country. The Czech Republic embarked upon a similar course in 2002. Unshielded globe lights and designs which deliberately send their emissions above the horizontal should be phased out, as should the ubiquitous 500 Watt domestic security lamp which is more than three times brighter than ILE recommendations.

  One problem which is becoming apparent nowadays is that, to quote the literature of the BAA's Campaign for Dark Skies: "As road lighting gradually improves in the UK, any benefit which might have resulted has been negated in many places by the proliferation of poorly aimed and unregulated sports, architectural and security floodlighting. The light produced by such installations is probably now the major contributor to skyglow in many localities."

CONCLUSION

  That part of our environment which has no real protection in law, the night sky, deserves our attention. It needs safeguarding for present and future generations, as the area of outstanding natural beauty and site of special scientific interest which it undoubtedly is. The omission of light as a potential pollutant from the Control of Pollution Act 1990 should be remedied. Light can cause as much distress as noise and other intrusions, and victims should not need to resort to expensive court cases to regain tranquillity.

  The night sky has played an enormous part in the shaping of our scientific, cultural and religious thought. We owe it more than to allow it to be erased by those who cannot aim lights properly.

21 April 2003