IT HAS one of space's most iconic names and is our celestial home among the stars, but hardly any Hampshire children have seen it.

The Milky Way is all around us and on a clear night should be visible to the naked eye just by glancing up at the sky. But man-made light pollution and perhaps even Southampton's new laser lighthouse means seeing all but the brightest stars above our heads is becoming harder and harder.

Astronomers are included among a number of people and organisations concerned about the plans for the lasers which although only 2.7mm wide will reach 15 miles into the night sky.

For the last week the Daily Echo has been running a poll both on the telephone and Internet to gauge readers views of the scheme. However, time is running out to vote and the poll will close at noon tomorrow.

Light pollution Dr Lillian Hobbs from the Southampton Astronomical Society is better equipped than most to talk about the effects of light pollution on viewing the night sky.

She has spent tens of thousands of pounds setting up two observatories in her Hampshire garden and dedicated three decades of her life to studying the stars.

Her concerns are that Southampton's new laser gateway could seriously impede the view of space.

She is also worried so few of the county's children have ever gazed up at the night sky and that due to light pollution the opportunities appear to be vanishing.

The stars have been humanity's guides for thousands of years and we've been gazing at them since mankind stumbled out of caves and discovered fire.

However with more moving to the south and the number of streetlights, cars and light-emitting devices growing with them, light pollution is, say astronomers, making it increasingly difficult for them to see anything beyond Earth's atmosphere.

Why are astronomers so concerned about light pollution when they have space telescopes and the Internet, and how could the laser lighthouse affect their view?

Dr Hobbs explained: "I'm all for putting Southampton on the map, I have lived here for all my life, it's just that I'm not convinced that blasting four lasers from the tower is the best idea."

She added: "The thing about the night sky is that people normally look up and only see a few stars or the moon, but there's so much more up there.

"The problem for us is that because light pollution is so high, there are hundreds of objects which are just impossible to see without expensive and costly equipment because of the ambient light around us. You only have to go outside at night and look towards Southampton to see the orange glow coming up from the streets.

"It effectively masks the light coming from the stars and other objects, and means in order to see anything you have to first peer through the glow. Our concerns over the laser were that this would just make the situation even worse. How will the light disperse as it move outwards from the city?

"If, and we are still looking into how it will disperse, it breaks up into wider and wider bands the further it is from Southampton, then it will just add to the light pollution already affecting the locality. That's our big fear.'' Not fair Dr Hobbs, a software engineer, said it was also not fair to expect her and scores of other astronomers to give up their hobby just because Southampton City Council had decided to install a laser on their clock tower.

Dr Hobbs, 47, who lives near Eastleigh, has been a member of the Southampton Astronomy Society for more than three decades.

She said that at the end of November she had been asked to give a talk to some local Guides and Brownies from Southampton.

She said: "When I asked the children which of them had seen the Milky Way only one of them put their hand up - it horrified me. I was very surprised by how many of the children didn't appreciate what they could see in the night sky and colleagues of mine have told of similar conversations with other groups.

"Whenever I do these talks it's always fabulous to see the excitement on the children's face as we set up the telescope and tell them what they might see. It's even better when you hear them shouting with excitement when they get their first glimpse of Saturn or a close-up of the moon "Looking at the night sky is about expanding your horizons and appreciating what's out there. If you can't see the stars then you are not going to ask yourself what's out there, and that's terrible.'' However there may be some hope for Hampshire's stargazers.

Cllr Jill Baston, SCC executive member for transport and environment, wrote to Dr Hobbs, stating: "You may be interested to know that light pollution from Southampton in the future will diminish, as we have embarked on a major street light replacement programme and are currently awaiting news of potential further funding for this project.

"The new lights will be much less polluting than the old ones."

HOW TO VOTE Do you think the Southampton Laser Gateway is a good idea?

Vote yes by calling 0906 218 0173.

Vote no by calling 0906 218 0174.

Calls will be charged at 25p per minute and should last about 15 seconds. Service provided by Newsquest Media Group. Lines close noon Friday 5th Jan Or vote online at www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/campaigns/ beacon/