A star figures prominently in the Christmas story, but for many people today stars are becoming an unfamiliar sight. Light pollution is making it harder for our increasingly urbanized populace to appreciate the splendor of the night sky. What is worse, the problem is no longer confined to large cities. Growth and affluence have brought light pollution even to the small towns and cities of the Four Corners. The culprits are familiar.
Street lights spread out with new development.
Shopping centers and strip malls light their parking lots. Homeowners enhance the security of their property with yard lights, illuminated drives and brightly lit entrances. And, of course, businesses compete for customers with prominent signs. The cumulative effect is to increase both the volume and the intensity of light bathing our cities and towns. That creates glare, illuminates property whose owners may not want it lit up and obscures the beauty of the stars.