Az astronomers could really use YOUR help

[Desertsunburn]

AZ astronomers could use some help opposing this Bill. It passed the House and is at the Senate now.

http://www.darksky.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=825

If you are out of State, writing our Governor would help! If you are in state, write your Senator!

Jim

[weaver hillbille]

I hate those billboards- If i wanted to go to Vegas, that's where I'd be.

REally screws with your night vision... THere's one on Fwy 10, east of Palm Springs( some casino) that just grates on me every time I drive by( which is usually at night).

[Bedrock Bob]

They ought to make a lot of lights illegal or at least make the owners pay a premium. In metropolitan areas there is more electricity used on flashing energy drink signs than on handling sewage and pumping drinking water. When electricity goes down in the summer due to high demand it should be the advertisers and the rich couples living in a 5000 s.f. home with a heated swimming pool and a cooled pool house that must reduce. We shold not shut the residential power off because the commercial users waste it trying to lure in customers. Neither should the wealthy be allowed to waste energy on luxury or opulence without paying a premium and having those luxuries curtailed first in a crisis. If a hospital's backup generator needs to come on in a crisis every non-essential user of electricity should be fined 25 cents each and used to reimburse the hospital for diesel fuel and generator maintenance.

Shut 'em all off in the city limits after 10:00 p.m. and make 'em solar/LED outside of town. No light pollution, no waste, no problem. Any advertisement of any kind should be self contained, not emit more than "X" lumens at "Y" feet, and not rely on the power grid for energy. And advertisers can certainly have backlit signs that dont emit much light rather than the flood lit signs that cause the glare as welll as the waste. There is no reason with todays technology we cant have our night skies, our reliable cheap electricity, and our precious flashing green monster drink signs lining the highways and blinking in windows too.

[Kaimi]

Aloha Jim,

And people wonder why I try to get out of Las Vegas every chance I get? Geez looks like one day we may end up finding one of these things out at Franconia advertising McDonalds or something.

Has anyone ever read "the Monkey Wrench Gang"? Seems like a good time for them to come and play once again.

Aloha and stay well my friends.

Stan aka Kaimi

[Desertsunburn]

I sure hope your guys take the time to write our AZ Governor or if you are in AZ, your Senator.

It's now making the news here in our State. There is talk of pulling some major projects from the US because of this Bill... if it passes.

Skycams have become a great part of tracking down new falls. And, they depend on dark skys. So, we need help in shutting this Bill down!

Thanks for any assistance you can provide!

Jim

[Desertsunburn]

Hi all...just an update.

First, for those that do not know, I host and operate the NMSU ALL Sky camera (Sandia Sky Sentinel)

here in Parker.

This Bill effects EVERYONE that likes to see the stars at night.

Well, when I posted this, It had passed the House and was at the Senate.

Well it passed the Senate but there is REALLY GOOD NEWS!!!

Today, Govenor Brewer put the VETO on the Bill!

SO WE WON!!! How cool is that! So thanks to all that help get this stopped.

BTW, we had us a meteor event in AZ on the 28th. The Parker and Prescott cameras, as well as the Riverside, CA camera caught it. This baby came in fast and blew up, leaving quiet a trail.

The Hermosillo, MX cam did not capture it, so odds are, somewhere almost due South of Prescott and South East of Parker, there be meteorites laying on the ground!

Without dark skys, we would not be able to provide this sort of information.

Jim