At 5:15 on dark winter mornings in southwest Minneapolis, waiting for the bus isn't always the most comfortable. But there is real pleasure on those cold dark mornings in tracking the slow march of the planets and constellations across the sky. Orion is still visible near the western horizon, while Saturn continues to rise and dominate the southeastern view. The North Star usually stands alone; however, its faint Ursa Minor companion's lost in the glow of the city. As metro cities prepare to replace their aging street lights (Star Tribune, Dec. 30), we have an opportunity to reclaim these stars, with designs that concentrate the light downward, where we need it, and save money in the process. As we enter 2009, the International Year of Astronomy, there will be many programs from the Minnesota Planetarium Society and the University of Minnesota that celebrate all the wonders we've discovered in space. But with a little forethought, 2009 can also be the year that our cities begin to uncover the beautiful skies for everyone to see. LAWRENCE RUDNICK, MINNEAPOLIS;
DISTINGUISHED TEACHING PROFESSOR OF ASTRONOMY, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA;
BOARD SECRETARY, MINNESOTA PLANETARIUM SOCIETY
