Abstract
It is suggested that the only guarantee for the preservation of dark skies is the guarantee that exists in the hearts of the people in all nations of the world. This paper notes how rising living standards and increasing GNP are associated with light pollution which is destroying the heritage of the night sky. It argues that it is necessary to decouple light pollution from rising living standards. A contribution to this process
is to provide indices that are easily understood and useable for measuring the quality of the night sky.
It is argued that robotic telescopes on the Internet can provide access to astronomy for increasing numbers of people. Programmes on the Internet can provide education, involvement in Astronomy-research and access to the leading edge of astronomy through the new technique of
eavesdropping. These education programmes will help to bring an understanding of the value of the heritage which belongs to our grandchildren: The Night Sky.
