All of the light glowing from new homes and businesses in the suburbs may be too much of a good thing. As astronomers at the Goethe Link Observatory see the light, it's a curse that cuts their ability to peer into the dark, night sky and to see faint, distant stars.
Bright lights can also become a safety problem, endangering motorists blinded by glare.
And every new subdivision, strip shopping center, gas station and roadside sign approved by local government officials can make the light pollution worse unless it is restricted. This is one of the newer issues of urban sprawl, this light pollution problem. Fleming is trying to spread that word to town and county planning departments and other officials in the metropolitan area that their help is needed to limit the spread of light in unwelcome places. For example, he said, is a rebuilt Amoco service station at Ind. 37 and Ind. 144 in Johnson County near the border with northern Morgan County is causing a light problem. The high-powered bulbs of the station have compounded the light pollution affecting the observatory, which is nearly six miles to the west in Morgan County, he said.