

You should have heard Prof. McNally , from my days as an astronomy
undergraduate, denouncing photon pollution. It was easy to imagine him
taking practical steps to modify the sodium lamps on the street
outside Mill Hill observatory with a 12-gauge shotgun :-)

However, seriously, it is possible to limit the effects of
streetlights, by adding a reflector, so that the light only
illuminates the ground, which is after all where you need it. As a
bonus, the power consumption required for a given illumination level
is reduced. Strangely enough, astronomers often seek to lobby elected
local authorities to use such lighting systems, with considerable
success in the desert areas around the major US observatories. At
least, thats what McNally told us, all those years ago.
( British local authorities couldn`t care less, as far as I can see )

I suppose that the "right" to dark skies is no more than an aspiration,
but it is a worthwhile one. Illuminated orbital billboards seem especially
yukky, and are presumably in the area of international law, if any, although
I do find the idea of a right to bear anti-satellite weapons intriguing.