IT is shaping up as a battle between physicists and astronomers. On 18 April 2005, physicists want to hold a “light relay” to mark the 50th anniversary of Albert Einstein’s death. The event is a kind of Mexican wave in which 100,000 people round the world take turns to shine lights into the night sky. The astronomers have taken exception: light pollution is bad enough, they say, without teaching a new generation to make it worse.
It could hardly be more embarrassing. The World Year of Physics in 2005 is supposed to convince people of the importance of physics…
