The suburbs are a little better, but these days, even in small country communities, we are sending millions of watts worth of light up into the sky. It is still possible to enjoy the magic and beauty of the night sky. Out in the wilderness, many miles from street lights, the stars are so bright and numerous that even an experienced suburban skygazer has trouble locating familiar constellations. However, as we spread across the land, those truly dark locations are getting harder and harder to find. In Europe they don't exist any more.
Sodium lights make the sky a nasty brown colour.
Over the last few years, concerned citizens all over the word have formed organizations to fight light pollution. We should take what they say seriously. Light radiated upwards into space is money wasted. For example, a simple, unshaded light bulb, operated outdoors, wastes half of every lighting dollar. The rising cost of energy and the environmental damage caused by power stations will gradually force us in the right direction.