End Light Pollution in 2010! (Happy New Year)

I love living in San Antonio, but I hate light pollution. I grew up in a West Texas town of San Angelo, Texas. San Angelo has about 100,000 people and it's own share of light pollution. San Angelo as far less than San Antonio. In San Angelo I would dive about 10 miles to the east of town with my little 90mm Mak-Cass Go-To that I had when in college. After that short drive I had some of the clearest sky in the area. San Antonio on the other hand is an issue.

I moved to San Antonio because my wife and I graduated from Angelo State University with our teaching certificates and the job market in west Texas... well was small. We moved to San Antonio after getting offers from Northside ISD and Northeast ISD.

San Antonio is unlike San Angelo, in that it is growing. That is great news for the economy of San Antonio, but a big drawback for an astronomer like myself. I get sick of seeing all the ever growing urban sprawl. It just makes me sick thinking of more street lights, more ignorant homeowners with safety light and more business with bad lighting.

There are organizations that focus on raising awareness of light pollution. I live near Helotes, TX which has some lighting restrictions. I would like to see more people become more conscious of good and bad lighting so last January I used my skills a photographer to document lighting found within a .5 mile radius of my house.

These are those photos: