The Night Sky

Houston is rightfully proud to be home to NASA and all the fine people that work there, but in some respects this pride is little more than lip service. One area where we fall short is in controlling light pollution. The International Space Station is the second largest object in the night sky, and should be visible to the naked eye, but that’s not the case in Clear Lake, home of the Johnson Space Center.
The station should be an inspiration to budding astronomers and space scientists, but you have to about drive out of town to show a youngster the big dipper these days.
I realize that it is taking generations to reduce the number of billboards along Texas highways, but we should be able to find the local fast food franchises without 100 foot tall signage. And why light up the drugstores when they’re on EVERY corner? Sweet Jesus, there’s a church in my neighborhood that’s visible from two miles away.
I propose that we use our public authority to tax and regulate local commerce to tone down the lights at night. I’m surprised that the cost of electricity hasn’t already done so. Outdoor signs are licensed by the City of Houston, and these licenses could be retired the same way we’re doing with shrimpboats. Are utility costs deductable as a business expense? Well, such deductions could be subjected to an energy audit. New streetlights could be required to be of a “downlight” design, and others scheduled for modification or replacement as feasible. Perhaps we could target particular areas for dimming, such as parks and other open spaces.
I realize that progress on this front may be on a timeline similar to a Nostradamus prediction, but that’s a good reason to get started now. If we can eliminate light pollution as we clean up our toxic air, the stars at night may again be big and bright…..