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I think it can only go up. Equipment continues to improve and at the same time gets cheaper (look at the affordability of a 10 or 12 inch dob). IIS is a good example of the growing level of interest at the moment, participation in clubs can only grow. IMO Visual observing will always remain popular, for some, there's just no substitute for seeing something with your own eyes, an image isn't always better, no matter what the quality of the image. Finally on the subject of light pollution, I feel the problem will, in time, solve itself. There are already places in Europe where the streetlights are turned off after a certain time at night. The energy savings from turning off streetlights should be an important part (and for that matter the first step) of energy conservation.
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