[mvpel]

The city of San Jose and others in the south bay area have cooperated with the Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton to the east for decades, and have come to a very amiable and productive relationship. And even with a million and a half people living within sight of the observatory, and all the attendant street and house lighting, the Lick Observatory is leading the way in discovery of new planets, among other astronomical milestones.

The trick is the use of high-pressure sodium street lighting, the narrow yellowish spectrum of which can be easily filterd out by astronomers, as well as proper design of fixtures to direct light where it's needed, instead of wastefully scattering it in all directions.

I'll admit that the 5,500 lumen limit is a rather ridiculous proposal, as it's not the number of lumens but how they're used that makes the difference.

But this hyperbole about an "economic disaster zone" is considerably overwrought. Silicon Valley, until recently, was the economic engine of the nation, and still Lick Observatory was able to make breakthroughs in astronomical research.

[Diverdogz]

My only complaint with the sodium vapor lights is that it makes it very difficult to distinguish different colors at night. You had better remember where you park your car in Wal-Mart parking lot - at night, a green car looks just like a blue, red, grey or brown one!

Those of us living near the coast are lucky. During the last huge meteor shower, my girlfriend and I went to a nearby beach away from the cities - the sky that night was amazing! No lights over the Gulf, and few lights nearby. We saw several THOUSAND meteors in the course of 4 hours. I wonder how many the people in Atlanta got to see.

[spqrzilla9]

The only problem is that the narrow spectrum light solution benefits only the professional astronomers.

[backhoe]

Thank you for reply #3. DeWeese is usually on the side of the Angels, but he missed it on this one. It's been over 2 decades ago, but I used to be an amateur observer, and even wrote a few pieces for the Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, including one about light pollution.

The problem, of course, is inefficient fixtures and misdirected lighting. Light that goes up into the sky helps no-one see better, and wastes power and money.