France aims to set up Europe's first "anti light-pollution reserve" to help preserve the night sky for a historic observatory in the Pyrenees, it was announced here Friday.

The goal is to establish a zone with a radius of 10-15 kilometres (six to nine miles) around the 130-year-old Pic du Midi mountain observatory so that views of the cosmos are not spoilt by intrusive light on the ground.

The first steps will be made on June 11, when local villages sign a charter to regulate street lighting to ensure it does not trespass on viewing, said Sebastien Vauclair, an astrophysicist who is deputy chairman of a group that has been campaigning for the move.

The goal is to eventually qualify for certification under the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), which claims a following among thousands of astronomers and educators in more than 70 countries in a campaign to curb light pollution.

Excessive or wasteful lighting is a bane to astronomers as it casts a glare that blots out the faint glimmer from stars and planets.

Light pollution also has a damaging effect on the natural environment, disrupting migration and mating among nocturnal species.

Getting IDA certification is a demanding process that could take several years, but it could be a useful spur for tourism at the observatory, which has been open to the public since 2000, local officials say.

The announcement coincided with a worldwide initiative, "100 Hours of Astronomy," which runs until Sunday with hundreds of grassroots events.

It is a cornerstone event of the International Year of Astronomy, which commemorates the 400th anniversary of sightings by Galileo that revolutionised our understanding of the Universe.