Join the Big Dipper campaign and help protect our night sky.

The International Dark Sky Campaign on the Isle of Wight, led by the AONB, the CPRE and the Vectis Astronomical Society (VAS) is supporting the national Big Dipper campaign. The focus of the campaign is to encourage the “dipping” of outdoor lighting.

We are not asking people to struggle in the darkness, but, by taking a simple step, namely to dip our lights, we can reduce light pollution and retain the sense of wonder when we look up to the night sky. Poorly installed outside lighting can be detrimental to the quality of our dark skies.

Many of the newer security lights being installed emit a very harsh blue-white light, which scatters further into the sky, blotting out our view of the stars. The impact is often made worse by the fact such units are angled outwards to increase the spread of light.

A single, poorly installed floodlight can be seen for miles around. The night-time environment is a crucial natural resource for people, wildlife and for the rural visitor economy, which benefits from increasing public interest in astro-tourism.

With the nights drawing in, the campaign aims to encourage property owners with outside lighting to assess how much lighting they have and to ensure, where possible, that lamps are suitably aligned. The campaign is asking people to:

• Ensure lights point down and are fully shielded.

• Only illuminate areas you need to and don’t leave lights on all night — use a timer or motion sensor.

• Employ lighting that is no brighter than necessary.

• If possible use warm colour lights. These are usually sold as “warm white” or have a colour temperature of 3,000K or lower.

The power of a light is best characterised by its output, usually listed on the packaging. About 500 lumens is ample to illuminate a back garden. Many LED products also state the light’s colour temperature. Those with a colour temperature of 3,000K and below produce a warm white colour, and are less intrusive to the night-time environment than higher rated fittings.

In support of this campaign and that of the Island International Dark Sky Campaign we are holding an Open Evening Event at the VAS Observatory and Pavilion, Watery Lane Newchurch on Friday, October 26, from 7.30pm. This is a family event and children and young people are welcome.

The move is backed by Sir Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal, who said: “It’s important that efforts are sustained to cut light pollution further so we can all marvel at the night sky wherever we may live. This deserves wide support.”