Madam, - In Mary Russell's article "Turned Off By Too Much Light", (December 11th), David Moore is quoted as saying that for astronomers "light pollution here is not a huge problem".
Light pollution is a very real and growing problem for Irish astronomers both amateur and professional.
Had the three wise men been guided to present-day Dublin by following a star they might have lost sight of it in the orange sky glow by the time they reached Dún Laoghaire.
Thankfully others see light pollution as a problem and are taking steps to reduce it.
Kerry County Council's development plan, for example, requires that applicants "demonstrate that the lighting scheme proposed is the minimum needed for security and working purposes."
It should be stressed that astronomy is a relatively minor consideration in reducing light pollution.
The benefits are mainly economic. The city of Calgary, Canada, is currently replacing the city's street lighting with non-light polluting fixtures - a move that the city expects will save it over €1 million per year in electricity.
Mr Moore's comment on driving to dark skies gives the impression that astronomers are people with telescopes who can drive to dark skies.
We must remember that children in our towns and cities who look up to the sky are also astronomers.
In city centres these children can only see a few tens of stars, whereas in rural areas they could see several thousand.
If we are not more careful with our lighting, children may never see the full beauty of the night sky, and our electricity and pollution bills will rise. - Yours, etc.,
ALBERT WHITE, Irish Light Pollution Awareness Campaign, Burmah Close, Dalkey, Co Dublin.