Art? No, let's see less light

It is with some disbelief I read about plans to illuminate Boston's skyline and shine spot-lights into the night sky, calling it art ("Need a Light?" City Weekly, July 20). For anyone who has traveled to unspoiled places with few lights at night (the Southwest for instance), the real artistry is already up in the heavens in the millions of celestial objects clearly visible.

Sadly, in Boston our children experience only a small fraction of this as a few dozen stars and planets, due to the already much-too-abundant light pollution emitted from this region. Recognizing the scarcity and expense of the energy needed for this project, shouldn't Boston aim to be more like Flagstaff, Ariz. - the first US city to promote "dark skies"? They did this without compromising public safety, and saved some money.

Maybe, Boston should have a festival with all lights aimed upward doused, and we can again discover the beauty of the night.

Erik Shank
Winchester