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(IAAC) Re: [ASTRO] Blinded by the light



With regards to the space mirror project here is a copy of my posting to
ASTRO line.
>To: astro
>From: Nick Martin <nmartin@bonnyton.u-net.com>
>Subject: Re: [ASTRO] Blinded by the light
>
>At 07:42 PM 6/20/98 +0100, you wrote:
>>Blinded by the light
>>snip>
>>Derek McNally of University College London, who campaigns against
>>"light pollution", says that previous plans to launch reflectors to
>>mark historic events or to launch orbiting adverts have failed,
>>largely due to the reluctance of space agencies to get involved. "But
>>sooner or later someone is going to succeed and then astronomers can
>>pack up their tents and go home," he says.
>>
>>Map, links to SRC and text:
>>http://www.newscientist.com/ns/980620/nspacemirror.html
>>
>>
>>Les Cowley
>
>The Space Regatta Consortium(SRC) Energia has a web site giving full
details of the project at 
>                http://www.energialtd.com//znamya.htm.
>The project contact is Professor Vladimir S. Syromiatnikov who has an
e-mail address
>               vladimir.syromyatnikov@rsce.nasa.ru
>I would suppose that he would be the person to contact with queries
protests etc.
>
>Nick
 also a copy of a letter I sent.

>Dear Professor Syromiatnikov,
>As an amateur astronomer and a lover of the natural world I am deeply
concerned with the Light from Space proposals for space illumination
systems. Apart from making the stars completely invisible for not  the
cities, because of atmospheric scattering they will also affect a very large
area around the cities effectively abolishing the stars for a large part of
the population. The stars are part of our heritage and out view of them is
constantly under threat from poorly designed and carelessly place terrestial
lighting installations. Light from space would be inescapable. I would
question the right of any commercial organisation to make this impact
without the consent of the whole population. 
>I would also wonder what the point of schemes to illuminate the Arctic as
the intensity of light would be too low by several orders of magnitude to
support plant photosynthesis. The light would be sufficiently bright however
to influence animal behaviour and in particular migrating birds which use
the stars for navigational purposes.
>Nick Martin
>
Nick Martin
Nick Martin, Bonnyton house, By Ayr, Ayrshire KA6 7EW ,Scotland, UK.
 Longitude 55 24'56" Latitude 4 26' 00".
"Thou star of evening's purple dome
 That lead'st the nightingale abroad,
 And guid'st the pilgrim to his home." 
   To the Evening Star by T.Campbell