Dark-sky campaigner Bob Mizon, who spent many years fighting to protect the night from light pollution, passed away on 19 April.
Born in 1946, Mizon helped to establish the British Astronomical Association’s Commission for Dark Skies (CfDS) in 1989 and became its national coordinator soon after its inception. In this role, he promoted responsible lighting throughout the UK and Europe. He was instrumental in helping Cranborne Chase AONB achieve its status as an International Dark Sky Reserve, and was one of the instigators of the UK government’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for Dark Skies.
He spent 26 years working as a French teacher, during which time he helped run school astronomy clubs and translated French astronomy books into English, before becoming a full-time planetarium operator in 1996. Nearly 150,000 children and adults all over Britain experienced Mizon’s infectious enthusiasm for astronomy and nature in the Mizar Travelling Planetarium.
His work was officially acknowledged when he was awarded an MBE for voluntary services to astronomy and the environment in 2010. britastro.org/dark-skies