00:02It's views like this that convinced Marcus Rodriguez to leave the light pollution of Sydney behind and move to rural
00:09Tasmania.
00:10I've loved astronomy since I was 12 and 13, that age.
00:14And it was only when I retired and moved to Tessie and the dark skies and clear skies down here
00:20that I could fulfill my dream and have a proper observatory.
00:23The self-proclaimed fanatical astronomer settled in the 400 person town of Ross.
00:30But this place is perfect for me. It's quiet, a lot of wind will blow away the dust and particles
00:36and a great view of the southern sky.
00:40The residents of Ross want to protect their unimpeded views of the night sky
00:45by getting the town accredited as a dark sky community with Dark Sky International.
00:50It would put us on the map in the form of international recognition for the beautiful dark nights we have
01:01here.
01:02If successful, Ross would be the first place in Tasmania to have its night sky formally recognised.
01:09But it's no easy process, often taking years to achieve.
01:14You have to show that, first of all, the area is truly dark.
01:21And darkness is measured with a device called a sky quality meter, where 22 is total darkness.
01:29You can see the Milky Way if it's darker than a score of 20.
01:33And Ross scores 21 on this meter.
01:37Those behind the initiative say getting local government on board is the hardest bit.
01:43But in March, the council gave their support to changing the town's street lights, bringing them one step closer.
01:50Council's totally supportive and it will take five years to implement, but we are quite happy to do that.
01:56And so long as we go with all the regulations.
01:58The community still needs to secure funding for the lighting change.
02:03One more challenge for a town determined to stay in the dark.
02:09Xochasticity is very
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