Who is Milky Way Man?

STARGEEZER

MY name is Jack Troeger. I'm also known as Dark Sky Guy, Dark Sky Knight, and STARGEEZER.

I used to be a stargazer, but upon stumbling over the threshold into the big 6-0s, I became a stargeezer. Even my car's license plate--STARGZR--shouts out who I am.

I'VE been a stargazer / amateur astronomer since early childhood.

AFTER 30 years teaching 9th grade earth science (geology, astronomy, meteorology) in Iowa, I retired in 1999; but by then the sky had become so badly polluted with light that my students could not see the Milky Way! They were not happy and neither was I. Some of them said, point blank: "Mr. Troeger, why don't you do something about light pollution?"

SO, here I am doing something about it.

IN 2000 I created what is now called the Dark Sky Initiative.

AS you can plainly see on any clear, moonless night, the light pollution problem is worse now than when I started; and I admit, my polite and civil efforts appear to have had little impact. Because being polite and civil rarely work in our overwhelmingly corporatized society, where money is the only real measure of success, don't expect me to continue to be polite and civil.

WORSE, the efforts of the national and international mainstream dark sky organizations have also failed--miserably.

BUT there's something even more unacceptable, more troubling, more sinister--the dark sky organizations and the astro-publicatons seem oblivious to their failures and unwilling to foster future success by inventing and using new strategies, new methods.

UNLIKE your friendly, stay-the-course, bureaucratic, hierarchical dark sky organizations, I don't want your money, but I am pressing forward with all possible dispatch with my Dark Sky Revolution, my solution to light pollution.

ALAS, whether or not the Dark Sky Revolution is successful depends entirely on YOU. You can stay the course and continue to chalk up more failures, or you can step over the threshold to something new, something revolutionary, and rescue starlight!

IT'S your choice: Do nothing and lose the dark night sky...OR...get your head out of the sand (or your telescope tube) and launch a Dark Sky Revolution in your own town / city / state / nation tonight!

Who is Milky Way Man?

NO EXCUSES! NO EXCEPTIONS! NO COMPROMISES!