Our understanding of the universe is advancing dramatically, primarily because we can now observe the cosmos at all wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum with instruments of enhanced and continually improving sensitivity. The public is extremely curious about the state of our universe and expects to see spectacular images and hear about great discoveries often. Yet, accelerating man-made degradation of the environment may ruin the goals of astronomers and dampen the curiosity and expectations of the public: Ground-based light pollution is making the sky harder for everyone to see, and space junk and radio noise from the sky are increasingly blinding astronomers at other wavelengths, too. As we move from an era dominated by government-operated space agencies to free market forces and deregulation, these problems threaten to increase dramatically.
展开▼
