"Can You See the Stars?"

I'd like to invite you all to participate in the 2008 GLOBE at Night event from 25 February to 8 March.

I've previously posted my concerns about light pollution and the detrimental effect it has on our quality of life. This year, you can help raise awareness by participating in this simple survey.

As the web site notes, "2008 marks a monumental shift in human history when more than half the people on Earth are expected to be living in cities. Because of the ambient light of urban landscapes, many city dwellers have never seen a sky full of stars."

Based on my own, past observations, most nights in Falmouth (from my location) allow the seeing of magnitude 4-5 stars. Since magnitude 6 is considered the average limit of a person's seeing ability, this reveals a troubling amount of light pollution - especially since my neighborhood is relatively dark.

We can do better, and I'll be reporting more on this issue in the coming months.