There are 26 telescopes on Kitt Peak. Scientific work at the facility is potentially threatened by growing light pollution from Tucson and the Phoenix area.

Aaron J. Latham / ARIZONA DAILY STAR 2004

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An April 17 Wall Street Journal op-ed piece bemoaned that the top presidential contenders declined an invitation from Science Debate 2008, a bipartisan group of Nobel laureates and scientists, for a televised debate.

The authors were Nobel Prize-winners David Baltimore and Ahmed Zewail, who pointed out that much of our nation's wealth comes from scientific research and technological innovation. The group wanted to know how the candidates would ensure continued U.S. domination in the sciences.

While candidates and politicos are debating lapel jewelry and skipping the science discussion, there is significant science being accomplished at Kitt Peak National Observatory atop the Quinlan Mountains on the Tohono O'odham Nation.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the observatory is not the world's largest or newest, but its up-to-date technology, scopes and scientists are churning out cutting-edge science. Kitt Peak National Observatory is part of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory.

The problem that plagues the site is too much light. Only 55 miles southwest of Tucson, the amount of light the city would cast into the night skies was underestimated when the site was picked in 1958.

Stand on the breezy moutaintop under the stars and Tucson's glow looms high into the horizon. Look to the north and the light cast by Casa Grande and the Phoenix metro area is also visible.

As we've said before, the state Legislature can help our nation continue to dominate the sciences — especially in astronomy — without debate or political gamesmanship by strengthening dark-skies laws to ensure all communities don't pollute the night sky with ambient light and help to reduce light pollution.