The darkness of a Tasmanian town's night sky could be protected

If successful, Ross will be the first town in Tasmanian to be accredited by Dark Sky International. (Supplied: Scott Bennett) A Tasmanian town is working to protect the darkness of its night sky by getting it officially recognised. This would make the Northern Midlands town the first in Tasmania to achieve the international accreditation. The local council has approved a lighting management plan, and the town's residents are waiting on a proposal from the state's energy distributor. Link copiedShareShare articleMarcus Rodrigues's fascination with the night sky started when he was just a teenager. "It was 1973 and Comet Kohoutek passed over Sydney," Mr Rodrigues said. Marcus Rodrigues has been fascinated with space since he was a teenager. (ABC News: Morgan Timms) After spending his working life in Sydney — where the city's glow and smog blows out the night sky — Mr Rodrigues was desperate to retire somewhere he could photograph the night sky in its full spectacle. He landed on Ross, in Tasmania's midlands, a 400-person town known for the clarity of its night sky. "I've been lucky enough to go around Australia over the decades with my portable telescope, and the skies down here are by far the best in Australia that I've come across," Mr Rodrigues said. "Especially the midlands and Ross — we're far enough away from Launceston and Hobart to not get city lights." Marcus Rodrigues moved from Sydney to Ross to pursue his dream of building a backyard observatory. (ABC News: Morgan Timms) Ross residents are working to preserve the darkness of the town's night sky by getting it 'dark sky accredited' with Dark Sky International. The accreditation would make Ross the first place in Tasmania and just the third in Australia to have the darkness of its night sky formally accredited. Ross resident and Local District Committee chair Nigel Davies is driving the project — he said getting the accreditation was no easy feat and was largely driven by volunteers like himself. "First of all, we have to show that the area is truly dark," he said. Nigel Davies uses a sky quality meter to measure the darkness level of Ross' night sky. (ABC News: Morgan Timms) Mr Davies said the group also needed to demonstrate wide-reaching support for the project. "We have 99 per cent support from the local community [and] all the businesses have signed letters of support," he said. A lodging in New South Wales has become the first to be internationally recognised as "dark-sky" accommodation, where visitors can take in the wonders of a clear night sky with little light pollution. With the community on board, Mr Davies said the next, and maybe most significant, hurdle was making the areas' external lights compliant with Dark Sky International's standards. "All the street lamps, and there are 54 in Ross, have to be shielded so that light is only emitted downwards and none is wasted upwards," he said. "The colour temperature of the lights also has to be in the warmer yellow part of the spectrum, which is a softer light." In March, the Northern Midlands Council agreed to the accreditor's conditions and legislated a lighting management plan. Mr Davies said while having the council on board was crucial, sourcing funding was a whole other challenge. "We need council and TasNetworks, who own the lights, to sign off on an agreement to replace all the non-compliant lights … within five years of Ross achieving accreditation," he said. Nigel Davies says the project has 99 per cent support from the local community. (Facebook: The Ross Astronomical Society) Mr Davies has proposed a pilot scheme between Tasmania's energy distributor and his local council. "I put forward a proposal to TasNetworks to replace all the lights in Ross with the new smart lights that are dark sky friendly," he said. "We'll be asking that the lights are dimmed from 10 o'clock at night to midnight and switched off from midnight to dawn." Ross may soon have dark-sky-friendly street lights. (ABC News: Morgan Timms) Ross would become the first town in Tasmania to have these types of lights. Mr Davies said not only would they make Ross comply with Dark Sky International's lighting requirements, but they would also generate big savings in power and maintenance costs. Would people travel to see the Milky Way like they do for the Great Barrier Reef? This tiny town thinks dark sky tourism is the next big thing. Mr Davies said it will also boost tourism. "It will put Ross more firmly on the map," he said. "I think getting Ross accredited will only increase overnight visitation because people will want to stay and see the night sky. "People wish to reconnect with the wonder, the awe of being able to see the Milky Way and the night sky and Tasmania's a really great fit for that." The Southern Cross and the Milky Way, as seen from Ross. (Supplied: Scott Bennett) For the last 11 years, Mr Rodrigues has had a telescope permanently set up in his backyard, which he u

The darkness of a Tasmanian town's night sky could be protected

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