Bob Gent Past president, International Dark-Sky Association; Past president, Astronomical League

Do you enjoy a beautiful night sky? Well of course you do, or you wouldn’t be receiving a copy of this magazine. Have you ever spent money on our hobby? I am guessing the answer is yes. In my case, I have built an observatory, and I have bought a lot of telescopes and other astronomical equipment. The point is that many of us spend a lot on astronomy.

If we are spending money on astronomy, then shouldn’t we also be helping the one organization that protects our night sky? There is only one organization totally dedicated to night sky protection. That’s the International Dark-Sky Association.

Of the many thousands of people who are amateur astronomers, how many are members of the International Dark-Sky Association? This is the really shocking answer: very few, perhaps less than a few hundred. Do you find this distressing? Well, I for one find it unbelievable and profoundly disappointing.

We are all facing a global emergency. It’s the explosion of bad LED lighting. These are high glare and overly bright street lights, parking lot lights, and a rapid installation of thousands of new LED signs and billboards. Many do not comply with IDA’s newly updated Fixture Seal of Approval program. Thank goodness, IDA is leading the charge to help us.

Bob Gent Past president, International Dark-Sky Association; Past president, Astronomical League

Do you enjoy a beautiful night sky? Well of course you do, or you wouldn’t be receiving a copy of this magazine. Have you ever spent money on our hobby? I am guessing the answer is yes. In my case, I have built an observatory, and I have bought a lot of telescopes and other astronomical equipment. The point is that many of us spend a lot on astronomy.

If we are spending money on astronomy, then shouldn’t we also be helping the one organization that protects our night sky? There is only one organization totally dedicated to night sky protection. That’s the International Dark-Sky Association.

Of the many thousands of people who are amateur astronomers, how many are members of the International Dark-Sky Association? This is the really shocking answer: very few, perhaps less than a few hundred. Do you find this distressing? Well, I for one find it unbelievable and profoundly disappointing.

We are all facing a global emergency. It’s the explosion of bad LED lighting. These are high glare and overly bright street lights, parking lot lights, and a rapid installation of thousands of new LED signs and billboards. Many do not comply with IDA’s newly updated Fixture Seal of Approval program. Thank goodness, IDA is leading the charge to help us.

When it was time to update our light pollution codes to fight these newly emerging threats in Sierra Vista and Cochise County, Arizona, we turned to IDA. They have developed vast amounts of reference materials such as their Practical Guide series, and so much more. Without the groundwork completed by IDA, we would have had to start at ground zero. Thanks to IDA, defending our night skies was possible.

If we don’t care enough to join IDA, who will? Sometimes it’s tough to quantify what one gets for joining a nonprofit organization like IDA. As the only organization dedicated to preserving the beauty of our night skies through improved outdoor lighting practices, IDA provides simple, low-cost solutions to the problems of energy waste, glare, light trespass, wildlife disorientation, and destruction of the night skies.

IDA is making a huge difference. A lot has been accomplished, and the word is getting out. Better lighting is appearing in many locations. Better lighting fixtures are being developed, and these will improve as time goes on. In addition, IDA has forged new alliances with groups like the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES). They set de facto lighting standards with their recommended practices. Several of the IDA board members are IES members.

The United States National Park Service greatly appreciates the work of IDA. They now recognize that poorly designed outdoor lighting is a serious threat to the nighttime environment at parks. They understand that the beauty of a magnificent, star filled sky is a precious treasure that should be protected.

None of this is cheap. Running an office, paying staff members (IDA now has four full time employees\), covering utilities, supplies, insurance, rent, printing, postage, and many other expenses is quite costly. This is why your membership is critical. You are helping us help everyone in the battle to save our night skies. In addition, there is strength in numbers, and IDA leverages your support around the globe.

How much is it worth to preserve the beauty of our night skies? To conserve energy? To promote quality outdoor lighting to reduce glare and light trespass? Never before has there been such a good solution to a difficult problem. To me, membership in IDA is priceless, but it only costs $35 per year. Please help IDA by joining now. You would be doing a great service to all. Go to darksky.org/newmember and click join.