Letters

I read Marilee Foster’s December 16 column, “Watching from Afar” [Ground Level, Opinion], and it struck a chord with me.

I have recently been out just before dawn to catch some Geminids and get a glimpse of Comet Leonard. I captured an image that shows a tiny blue-green dot with a tail in the upper right part of the image. This is the comet. The other image shows a few Geminid meteors that were too dim for my eyes but the camera caught these guys.

I am fortunate to live across the street from Shinnecock Bay, and this reduces some of the worst parts of the light pollution that otherwise dominates our night sky.

I served on the Town of Riverhead Dark Sky Advisory Committee and the Town of Southampton Dark Sky Advisory Committee. I played a small part in updating outdoor lighting code in both towns. I no longer serve on these committees.

While the codes are commendable, I feel that their actual impact on reducing light pollution is not what it should be. In the end, I felt like I was tilting at over-illuminated windmills.

James Slezak

Hampton Bays