An Astronomers perception of Garden Outdoor Lighting 

One of the oldest sciences is Astronomy and before the telescope was invented study of the stars and comets had to be taken from high buildings or high ground using just the naked eye.  Years ago, at places such as Stonehenge, people would assemble to watch the stars at night and even today Stonehenge is one of the most popular tourist destinations for this reason.  Nobody actually knows why these rocks where placed there but many people believe that in early times by watching the sun and the stars people could determine the seasons which helped them to know when was the best time to plant their crops.  Almost everybody at some time will become fascinated by the sky at night and might want to find out more about the stars and the planets.

One of the problems for the amateur astronomer is that garden outdoor lighting can affect the view of the night sky and for this reason find that it is better to observe the stars and comets away from built up areas.  For this reason many of them will go as a group out into the countryside where there is no garden lighting that will affect their view.  Other people who are interested in the moon and the stars will have their own telescope placed in the loft of their house where they can observe the sky through their telescope without having to leave home.  However, they also will have a problem with garden outdoor lighting and will often buy a more soothing garden lighting for use in their own gardens.

Some people become very interested in astronomy when they first view an eclipse of the sun or make a visit to one of the public Observatories which are regularly opened up when there is a chance of seeing a comet or a galaxy of stars which might only appear once in a lifetime.  These Observatories have massive telescopes and are usually positioned in the countryside well away from garden outdoor lighting or anything which might affect the view. While most people who buy garden lighting will never give it a second thought, astronomers are fully aware of the disadvantages that will be created by having garden lighting and prefer not to use it.  In recent years more soothing garden lighting has become popular and does not have the same affect on the sky as other garden outdoor lighting. 

By studying the stars and planets people can understand more about the universe and on a clear night seeing the millions of stars in the sky are fascinating to most people even without a telescope.