Is light pollution a problem?
Bruce Gillespie, site operations manager for Apache Point Observatory, responds: “Light pollution is a big issue here, and considerable time and effort are spent on it. Lighting ordinances have been enacted for Alamogordo and Cloudcroft. We are working to get the entire county, state, and federal installations (e.g. Holloman Air Force Base) similarly cloaked. The skies here are still pretty dark, so the main concern is holding the line against sprawl (which is pretty slow out here). Enforcement of existing codes and educating the public are also important elements of our efforts. In order to work multiple fronts, we employ the time and efforts of many of the local amateur astronomers in lobbying and enforcement activities.
