While the state auction for drilling rights to the Trenton-Black river resulted in the rights to only 17 of 75 tracts being bid on it, astronomers are crossing their fingers over the 16 tracts in Potter County, Penn.

That's because the county is the home of Cherry Springs State Park, one of only four true "dark skies" areas in this half of the country.

Dark sky areas are places where manmade lighting is carefully controlled in order to preserve the night sky. In the case of Cherry Springs, the remoteness of its location, coupled with only a couple of small local communities (one of which is at a lower altitude than the park) and some strategically placed mountains blocking light from State College, Penn., 75 miles away, have helped create an oasis from light pollution nearly unrivaled in the Eastern half of the country.

Astronomers are concerned because drilling rigs are normally loaded with lights.

"If you've ever seen a gas or oil rig, most have a number of fluorescent lights in a straight line up through the tower," said Thom Beamus, director of the National Public Observatory, Stars in Parks Program. "What we're asking is that they take a look at the way they light these things. We're asking that they eliminate the spraying of light up and out. From a safety standpoint, it would seem to be an improvement, because when they're working on the rig they're staring into bright lights."

Fortunately, things may not be quite that dire. One of the changes the state made to the lease requirements as a response to public concerns over the sale of drilling rights was to require fully shielded lighting on the drilling rigs.

This change won't come cheap for the drillers though, said Steve Rhoads, president of the Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Association.

"We've talked to some people about that," he said. "The estimates we've heard is to relight a rig of this type to meet the requirement could cost up to $100,000. They're not inexpensive, and you've got to take everything off and they're big rigs.

"Frankly, I think it's unnecessary cause I don't think these rigs propose any risk to the night sky. We're talking a very small presence of these rigs on the landscape."

Beamus agreed that under many conditions the drilling rigs may not represent a big problem, but in a worst-case scenario, the more stringent requirement could prove invaluable.

"To be perfectly frank, there will probably not be a large impact," Beamus said. "One of the big concerns though, is if there's a big gas find and a series of pumping stations. Then you'd have a series of lights throughout this pristine area.

"So long as they're drilling in a valley, it won't be that bad, but if they're drilling on a ridge line, it could shut down the use of the park for astronomy purposes for many years."

In an earlier interview, Beamus said the state's willingness to add the requirement for fully shielding lighting was heartening.

"We were pleased to hear they were receptive to the ideas we presented," he said, "and they have some sensitivity. Hopefully we can find something that works for everyone. There is no question that the U.S. needs domestic gas and oil supply, so we want a win-win situation."