Dear Sir/Madam,

Do we really need astronomers to tell us that for many people the sky never gets darker than it would during natural twilight? Perhaps we do, when so many have never seen, or if they have, have forgotten, what a magnificent, awe-inspiring spectacle a clear view of the night sky can present (Street lights outshine real sky at night, August 14, 2001).

Our ancestors used to spend hours watching the stars;  there was often little else for them to do after dark. In those days, most people would have been as familiar with the stars as only astronomers are today. They would not have known what they are, as we do, each one a sun in its own right, most of the ones we can see far larger and brighter than our own. All they could do was marvel at the sight. Never seeming to change, they were the epitome of permanence, a comforting contrast to conditions on Earth.

What a high price we have paid for the bright lights of civilisation. How sad that so few even recognise the loss.

Still, no need to get too depressed about it. After all, all we need to do is turn them off.

Perhaps we should think about doing just that from time to time, or better, introduce a set number of “holinights” into the year. A clear view of the heavens might awaken in others, as it does in me, a sense of wonder and awe at the natural world and help us to recognise the vanity, false values and ugliness that are so much a part of modern society and to reflect upon the rat race (the intrinsic cause of non-sustainability) that is driving us towards climatic and ecological disruption and social cataclysm.