Making a wish upon a star is becoming more difficult in Australia, especially as more of us live in towns and cities. “The stars in our town night skies are disappearing in the glow of light pollution from street lights and advertising boards, and children born in Albury-Wodonga need to go to well outside the city limits to actually see many stars,” says concerned Charles Sturt University academic and stargazer, Associate Professor Dirk Spennemann. “Although light pollution is greatest in the northern hemisphere, Australia is not immune.” Scientists and decision makers met in La Palma, Canary Islands – where many of Europe's optical telescopes are located - and developed the Declaration in Defence of the Night Sky and the Right to Starlight in 2007. The first anniversary of the declaration, Sunday 20 April, has been declared World Night in Defence of the Starlight to raise awareness of this growing problem. “Local governments and private citizens need to consider how their outside lighting contributes to light pollution and what they can do about it,” Professor Spennemann said.