Light Pollution

[LightRanger]

Light pollution is something I've always been annoyed with. In CA, we have some incredibly light-polluted skies and some incredibly clear skies. We used to camp in the Mojave a lot growing up and I always loved how clear the skies were. I hope as time goes on that this becomes more of an issue and mitigation measures are taken to prevent light pollution in new development and retrofitted into existing development.

These guys do cool work to raise awareness:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intern...ky_Association
http://www.darksky.org/

I like their "dark sky park/communities" idea. Provides an incentive for localities to work on their light pollution to potentially draw tourists. Here's an example in CO:
http://www.darksky.org/assets/Night_...ease_FINAL.pdf

There's also increasing evidence that dark skies benefit human and environmental health as well:
http://globalnews.ca/news/748109/lig...e-for-concern/

I thought this video was pretty cool and it's what inspired this post:



Related to this are natural soundscapes, and I thought this study by the NPS was pretty cool:

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/...cophony-sounds

Anybody do anything at their home or know of anything locally where people are working on this?

[KQ]

Def. don't have a light or noise pollution issue where I live. I love the night sky here - you can see all the stars are night, it's wonderful.

[iceman]

Dark Skies are a cool topic and I've been aware of the Dark Sky "movement" for quite some time. I think there's value in it. Getting people to give a shit would be a good trick.

The one aspect where I've actually gotten a few people to listen for a little is unshaded streetlights. What's the point of sending 75% of the light (and the power and money needed to generate it) uselessly up into the sky when with reflecting down-facing shades you can save money and power and get a darker sky at the same time? Beyond that it's tough sledding.

[Meadow Skipper]

New Mexico's on it:
http://www.sfct.org/skies/dark-skies-conservation

The night skies here are pretty awesome. I see a clear night sky standing out in the yard.

[Buster Highmen]

Proffesor Abdullah Nightingale is a seventh grade Nocturnomath, and as such, he has seven brains. He is regarded as a genius, even among Nocturnomaths. He is the founder of an academy in the Gloomberg Mountains, and is the leading expert in darkness. He has traveled much of the continent of Zamonia in his pursuit of knowledge.

There’s only one thing that goes on for ever, and that’s darkness.


— Professor Nightingale (Rumo and His Miraculous Adventures)

[Mofro261]

Seventh grade can be an awkward time, even for a Nocturnomath.

[digitaldeath]

dang, look at my city glow

glogang


minneapolis way brighter than shitty denver and the entire pnw

[iceman]

You need a nice air raid siren to go with your light.

[plugboots]

Actually KQ the religious nutbags light up all kinds of crosses in Eastern WA. 'Cuz you know, how would god find that thing without it?

If I pee off my deck at 3 in the morning, there will be about 12 lights on within view. Just wackos who think having a bulb burning all night will protect them from...? Some of those lights are on vacation homes and are burning constantly. I sometimes go up to those bulbs and unscrew them.

[Bromontana]

dang, look at my city glow

glogang


minneapolis way brighter than shitty denver and the entire pnw

Do fat people use more juice?

[LightRanger]

Actually KQ the religious nutbags light up all kinds of crosses in Eastern WA. 'Cuz you know, how would god find that thing without it?

EWA fundies got nothing on Trinity Broadcasting:



Because, you know, nothing says "Blessed are those of you who are poor" than a ridiculously ostentatious office building/TV studio.

[Fuzz]

A good site for light pollution is LightPollutionMap.info -- shows an overlay map of light pollution across the world. I lived under pretty dark skies in Summit County, which allowed me to shoot decent astro stuff. The town of Silverthorne had a dark sky ordinance, which meant that all outdoor lighting had to be shielded/pointed down; unfortunately, that didn't cover pre-existing lights, so there was still some light pollution. And neighbouring Dillon did not have any such ordinance (at the time at least).

Still, it wasn't too bad...





And then I moved to New Zealand and learned what dark skies really look like. Much of NZ is pretty undeveloped. It also includes the Aoraki-Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve -- but frankly, most of the rest of the country could qualify as well. It is so dark that the Milky Way actually casts shadows (I did a hike with a friend under starlight only). It's the only place I've been where the sky is actually lighter than the clouds -- in most places, clouds are lit up from artificial lights, making them lighter than the sky. In truly dark places, the sky shows up in it's real dark bluish grey colour, while the clouds are completely black.

The amount of detail you can see with the naked eye is stunning.

This is about 45 minutes from town:


This is right on the edge of town near where I live now. There's a bright street light illuminating the sand, but the sky is still quite spectacular.


I now live 16 miles (as the crow flies) from Auckland, the largest city in NZ. And this is from my front porch, taken with a point-and-shoot camera, partly in the direction of Auckland.

[PB]

Yeah, just wait until your eyes go to shit and you start running into things in low light conditions. They can't make the street lights bright enough then.

[NoPostholio]

Do fat people use more juice?

They need more lights on at night for learnin to fight the dumbz

[NoPostholio]

Wow - nice shots

^^^^how did you take that shot and what is it?

[iceman]

Yeah, just wait until your eyes go to shit and you start running into things in low light conditions. They can't make the street lights bright enough then.

Well that's fine but let's just point the lights down to the ground where they might actually do some good.

[BmillsSkier]

I like their "dark sky park/communities" idea. Provides an incentive for localities to work on their light pollution to potentially draw tourists.

If you want to see the definitive example of this check out Hilton Head Island. Ever since the island started being developed in the 60s there were bans put in place on all kinds of lights. You won't find many streetlights (the few allowed have to be shaded down), back-lit signs are illegal, as are neon signs or billboards, no reflective street signs apart from the main W.H. Parkway and roads. Have to petition a board to take down a tree... It gets so dark there at night its really easy to get lost on the winding plantation roads.

I love it and I know visitors love it. Things I always hear from first timers is "it's so dark at night there - you can see so many stars" and "I got lost because you can't see a fucking thing."

It does make for one annoying pain in the ass any time you want to change a light fixture on your house or dock though. You have to get it approved by a local board of pointy headed busybodies with nothing better to do, but that's another thread.

[KQ]

Actually KQ the religious nutbags light up all kinds of crosses in Eastern WA. 'Cuz you know, how would god find that thing without it?

If I pee off my deck at 3 in the morning, there will be about 12 lights on within view. Just wackos who think having a bulb burning all night will protect them from...? Some of those lights are on vacation homes and are burning constantly. I sometimes go up to those bulbs and unscrew them.

I've not seen any religious lights but I'm 10 miles outside the city limits. I'm sure there are plenty of crosses and electric candles burning in windows to help guide the way for the rapture.

We do have one BIG light polluter that can be seen for miles - the State Pen. They have far too many lights - glows a kinda pink/orange color too. Aren't those felons all supposed to be tucked in at night? Why the lights?

The other thing we have are those damn wind turbines with their red eyes glowing like demons. At night it's like the hills have eyes.

Most of what you see around here are vapor lights on out buildings but they tend to be low and point down along the front of structures creating a half circle of light. I do have a light on my barn at night but it is under the peak and points down. It gets pitch black out here - I like to be able to see if someone is lurking around. All-in-all out where I live with no tall buildings or close highways it's pretty dark and the stars are impressive.

[BmillsSkier]

[Tippster]

Kinda reminds me of the idiots that would insist on using flashlights to go take a piss when we were camping in Moab, with the moon out. I'd point out to them that they would actually see better without the fucking torch and would have to prove it to them by holding their hand and walking for a bit until their eyess adjusted. Fucking stunning how stupid people are about light.

[KQ]

Fucking stunning how stupid people are about light.

Says the man who still has good vision, balance and depth perception

[wooley12]

Tried to see the stars outside of Moab when we moved across the continent. Parked on a dirt road outside of town. Set up the chairs, poured the wine and lit the pipe. Got chased off within 15 minutes by an ATV towing a trailer with the driver yelling Indian war whoops. Weird night . Never did see the Milky Way on our trip.

[Bromontana]

Night putting.

[Tippster]

Says the man who still has good vision, balance and depth perception

Seriously tho, people are brainwashed into thinking that flashlights are necessary at all times when it's "dark." Walk away from the camp fire, wait a moment, and realize you see better than you would with on bright spot 3ft across surrounded by black.

Try it sometime. I've watched people point their light at the ground and walk into a tree... and I'm astigmatic.

[digitaldeath]

Seriously tho, people are brainwashed into thinking that flashlights are necessary at all times when it's "dark." Walk away from the camp fire, wait a moment, and realize you see better than you would with on bright spot 3ft across surrounded by black.

Try it sometime. I've watched people point their light at the ground and walk into a tree... and I'm astigmatic.

The ninja has this mastered, until they were wiped out by the salary man