Light Pollution Education
Let There Be Dark

No one can show the effects of light pollution and have as much impact on an audience as a planetarium. Millions of people visit planetariums around the world on a yearly basis. For this reason, the Southeastern Planetarium Association (SEPA) is working on a mini star show (infomercial), designed to be added to the beginning or the end of any star show. Saving the Night - Theft of the Dark Night Sky, when completed, will help promote proper lighting techniques, heighten public awareness of lighting issues and offer solutions.

The program, approximately 12-minutes in length, is being written and narrated by astronomer/author David Levy. Miramar recording artist, Jonn Serrie has agreed to do the music soundtrack. Due to the nature of the program, the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) has provided access to their slide archives. Edwin Faughn of the Sharpe Planetarium in Memphis, Tennessee is producing additional artwork, including several panoramas. Edwin's art has been featured in Sky & Telescope, Astronomy, Science News and The Planetary Society magazines, in addition to several other notable publications and exhibits. It should also be noted that the above mentioned artists and writer are providing their talents at a substantially reduced rate to assist in addressing the issue. It is through their dedication that this project is becoming a reality.

When finished, the program will first be distributed among the SEPA membership. This membership totals more than 125 planetariums located in the Southeastern United States. The International Planetarium Society (IPS) is also planning to make it available to its membership, over 600 planetariums, at cost. SEPA is striving to keep the purchase price under $50 through the generous support of two corporations. Funding for the project is being provided by Magnaray International, a lighting company based in Sarasota, Florida (IDA member) and Meade Instruments Corporation, the "World's Leading Manufacturer of Astronomical Telescopes." Distribution of the star show is targeted for release in the spring of 2000. The show package will include an annotated script, audio CD, slides and slide images also available on the CD. The project was chosen to help inform the public on a broader scale of the light pollution issue, in addition to, assisting as a catalyst for the IDA and proper lighting techniques. The idea rose from a recent encounter with light pollution in Bradenton, Florida. In 1997 the City of Bradenton, Florida, not heeding the request and recommendations of the Bishop Planetarium, installed approximately 100 "GLARE BOMBS" (unshielded high pressure sodium globe fixtures) around their new City Center Complex that houses an auditorium, City Hall and Police Department. The new facility resides across the street from the Bishop Planetarium and its observatory, on the Bradenton waterfront. The observatory house 6" f-12 and 8" f-13.2 refractors used for weekly public observing sessions and educational study. After many discussions with city officials and local media, it became apparent that many people did not understand the issue of light pollution and proper lighting techniques. Through education, city employees were able to effectively shield the lights and regain some of the lost "dark" sky. In addition to shielding fixtures around the new City Center Complex, electrical department employees replaced the standard high-pressure sodium partially shielded fixtures with "full-cut-off" fixtures, providing additional light baffling. The key to the success was support from local media representatives through the education of lighting techniques. Offering solutions in a non-combative atmosphere generally yields favorable results. Public awareness and understanding was and continues to be an integral part in successfully combating light pollution. In the words of David Levy: "With every day that passes, is it not too much to hope that the night sky will return to the farm, to the desert, and to the forest? Can we hope also that the night sky, the birthright of everyone, can even return to the cities and suburbs? If that happens, then the dawn of a new era will have a happy dusk indeed." This is the wish and the goal of the Southeastern Planetarium Association. Hopefully, this first step will help kindle an awakening in our audiences. For updated information regarding the program visit the SEPA web site at: www.sepadomes.org