Twenty-three-year-old astronomer and film-maker, Josh Dury, from Compton Martin, has been campaigning against the ever-growing problem of light pollution in our night skies.

Josh’s interest in astronomy began at the age of seven from watching science fiction tevevision programmes. His curiosity only grew further when, in 2015, he witnessed the solar eclipse from his home in the Mendips.

Speaking of his growing interest, Josh told The Journal: “After seeing the solar eclipse, I made it my ambition, two years later, to travel to the US to witness the Total Solar Eclipse. I have also been lucky enough to observe the Northern Lights in Iceland.”

Josh made the journey last year to the Atacama Desert, in Chile, to see the darkest sky in the world. Since then, he has made it his aim to promote the effects that light pollution is having all across the world, but particularly focusing on the night skies in Somerset.

Gaining inspiration from his knowledge of wildlife filmmaking at The Natural History Unit and since completing a Photography Degree at Bristol UWE, Josh has produced a film called ‘Back to the Light’, which aims to raise awareness to the implications of light pollution on the natural world and ‘its impact to astronomers, wildlife conservation and human health.’

Josh’s concerns with the dimming visibility of the night sky have only grown stronger since Elon Musk’s announcement to launch 42,000 satellites into orbit by 2025 to provide a global internet service. He continued: “They have already been releasing sixty satellites every fortnight, so there are a total of 700 in orbit and visible to the naked eye.

“If the SpaceX project goes ahead, we will be the last generation to see the night sky as purely as it is now. We already know that we need to significantly reduce our carbon footprint by 2030 and this can be done by doing everything we can to reduce light pollution.

“The economy is being harmed by money spent on wasted energy. The effects of light pollution are evident from images taken on board the International Space Station, where we can see the outlines of major continents at night.

“Having lights directed towards the night sky has a huge impact on this, so we need to adopt the right lighting practises by shielding our lights and choosing the correct times to have them on.

“I have noticed that the streets lamps in Midsomer Norton dim after midnight, which is brilliant and shows that they do not need to be as bright as they are everywhere else. If everywhere adopts the same process, then that is another step in the right direction, but there is much more that needs to be done.”

Following all of his work promoting the awareness of astronomy, Josh has been selected as the International Dark Skies Association delegate representative for Bristol and the South West to promote the night sky conservation. With this, he will be working with politicians, MPs and the Mayor of Bristol (which is the UK’s climate capital), to promote public awareness of light pollution and satellite constellations in the local area.

Josh said: “I believe by creating a focused framework in Bristol for the night sky pollution, like we have with plastic pollution, we would be able to make a phenomenal difference.”

Somerset already stands out on a global platform, but Josh aims to promote awareness more so that our night sky is not lost to the satellites and other major factors adding to polluting of the skies. He added: “We are very fortunate in Somerset, particularly where I live in the Mendip Hills, that we already have dark skies, but this is under threat with housing developments leading to an increase in emitting light pollution, so this is where I want to intervene and raise awareness around the impacts of it and the local wildlife, as well as the impact on human health.

“A light shining through the window can badly affect our hormonal patterns inside our bodies, which is a very worrying concern, and something that people may not realise.”

Josh is currently in the process of writing up a letter to the UK Government to show the importance of the dark sky and how they can promote change. He is urging people who have any interest in astrology, and seeing the stars, to join astronomical organisations and realise the importance of protecting the night sky.

“I am starting my own astronomy organisation called ‘Space4All’ to actively promote astronomy. Anybody is welcome and can join through our social media platforms, which I am working on now.”

In the future, Josh aims to host events to educate people on the dramatic changes in the quality of the night-sky and the development of satellite constellations.

To learn more about Josh’s knowledge in the fight against light pollution, watch his production: ‘Back to the Light’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3iNlJZl

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To learn about the eyeopening concerns of the International Astronomy Community, watch Josh’s recent production: “Starlink – A Battle for the Skies”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlqZyJZjFc0&t=13s