News from the Dark Side: 'Saving the Night Skies'

CNSNews.com ^ | July 18, 2002 | Tom DeWeese

[Gorzaloon]

Well, here is one I had better not touch. I hate the thought of one more law and one more agenda, and one more "Cause"!

But I am also an amateur astronomer, so I am at a loss as to what witty dismissal I can make of this without being a hypocrite, I suppose.

Maybe too much light in the sky is like me jamming my neighbor's TV? Because I use my scope more hours than I watch Network!

Other than that I dunno what to say about this one.....

[GovernmentShrinker]

So true. For a number of years, I had a "street" light, which was located around the corner and two buildings away from me, that blazed in my 3rd floor bedroom window all night. Either I was kept awake by the light, or had to block it with a solid sheet of foam core (the light went right through "room-darkening" shades) and be deprived of the natural pleasure of awakening to daylight. Fortunately, my municipality replaced the lights with a type that points light at the street.

[hopespringseternal]

I would rather my taxes not be used to replace perfectly functioning lights in order to funnel money to the BOS lighting buddy. AND IT IS MY TAXES THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT.

Time and again, it has been shown that replacing and reconfiguring the lights is cheaper than running the old ones. It is a net savings all around.

Another thing -- pointing street lights at the ground is safer because it reduces the glare in drivers' eyes. Pointing parking lot lights at the ground also helps because the eye reacts to the glare reducing the effectiveness of the lighting.

It is a win-win situation for everyone but people who insist it must be a liberal conspiracy.

[cogitator]

No such thing as light pollution?

Click on the little picture above to see the bigger version. This image has been on Free Republic before, but it's illustrative of just how much light is generated in urban areas.

[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.

[steve in DC]

The Government should alwys begin by impacting those things they can, before they seek to impact their "free" citizens.

For example, Loudoun County should first begin impacting this "light pollution problem" by turning off all street lights. The streetlights are the county's and they can turn them off it they like.

Then they can listen to the important feedback from the citizens and decide whether this light pollution stuff is worth losing their jobs over, or not.

[discostu]

Just takes practice. For a few years I wore blue block shades which have the same wierd tinting effect. Now my eyes have been trained to tint filter and spot the green car even if the currently projected color is closer to mud. Only problem I've had with sodium lights is that in some municipalities they're the same color as the yellow traffic lights which can occassionally cause you to "lose" the traffic light (Alamagordo NM where my in-laws live is like that... luckily in a town the size of Alamo there's no reason to be out after dark anyway).

[spqrzilla9]

Yes, its a great boon for all flying criminals.

[spqrzilla9]

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

[RonF]

Bump.

[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.

[RonF]

Many fine replies on here. But, to reiterate:

1) No one wants to stop you from illuminating your property. They want to stop you from illuminating something that isn't your property.

2) Use of proper light fixtures and fittings can actually improve property lighting and security, with lower electrical costs.

3) Dark-sky legislation generally points at new installations, not forcing replacement of existing fixtures.

4) The concept that this is some kind of conspiracy to enable criminals is truly paranoid and indicative that the proponent thereof has a slim grip on reality.

And yes, I am an amateur astronomer. I am also a Scouter, and a counselor for Astronomy Merit Badge. I reside, as do the Scouts in our Troop, in the Chicago suburbs. It's always interesting to take the blase and sophisticated junior high and high school kids out to somewhere that has a dark sky. I get all kinds of wonder-filled questions that they're normally way too cool to ask. The double-take you see from a kid whose spent his whole life in the 'burbs and sees a dark sky for the first time is priceless.

[RonF]

What Loudon County could do is retro-fit their existing streetlights by putting reflectors on them that bounces all the light currently going up from them back down onto the streets. The feedback would generally be how much better lit the streets are.

[RonF]

To read some articles that are based on actual facts, instead of paranoid ramblings, please go here. Sky and Telescope is a magazine for amateur astronomers that (understandably) keeps a close eye on this issue. You might also want to look here, at the International Darksky Association's web site. I have a next-door neighbor that thinks he needs a floodlight above his front door that not only illuminates his front yard, but my front yard and my bedroom windows. I've fantasized solving the problem with my .22. It's ridiculous. And unnecessary. And incredibly wasteful.

[MP5SD]

I agree with your statements. I am fortunate enough to live very far out in a rural area.

Some should try this little test. Late at night when there is little moon and your driving turn your dash lights down and see how much better you see the gages, how much better you see out the windshiled and how much better your eyes feel. You also look like some one who knows something about driving.

[RonF]

"Other than that I dunno what to say about this one....."

How about figuring that government does have a legitimate function in ensuring that Person A's actions don't interfere with Person B's rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". And while this is sometimes stretched to absurd levels, often it is not, such as in this case.

Not every case of goverment action is a "liberal plot". The tendency of some FReepers (this is not aimed at you, I don't recall reading any other of your posts) to substitute rhetoric and knee-jerk reaction for actual thought based on a political philosophy doesn't speak hopefully for the conservative cause's future.

[RonF]

Speaking of glare, something needs to be done about those new high-intensity headlights people are getting. The glare from them in the blue end of the spectrum just destroys night vision and is going to start causing accidents on the part of oncoming traffic. When one of them passes me at night I can't see for a few seconds, and I have excellent night vision.

[MP5SD]

I turn mine off and drive with Night Vission Goggles (NVG's). Really perplexes the Deputy when I go by, blacked out at 130 mph :)

[snarkpup]

Weese is the loon. The International Darksky Association does not want to prevent you from illuminating your driveway.

Yes! The organization is primarily astronomers and illumination engineers. The focus of the engineers is elimination of light trespass (e.g., blasting lights into neighbors' windows all night), glare reduction (e.g., filling stations lit up like the sun that wipe out the dark adaptation of passing motorists), and energy conservation. Astronomers benefit from all of this because it means fewer megawatts into the sky.

It should be noted that environmental wackos are generally not involved in this issue.

• At the last annual IDA meeting I attended, only one vocal eco-freak was present. She admitted she was there not to further our cause but to promote hers. I was impressed at the way the IDA leadership (including a world-famous astronomer who was also present) tactfully put her in her place.

• I live in a sea of environmental extremists, including a city council that blocks practically everything for environmental reasons. Yet the local environmentalists (and the city council) have no interest in light pollution issues. At a recent city council meeting discussing the lighting issues for a new sports complex, the only people who showed up to express concern were a couple of amateur astronomers (myself included) and pilots who are concerned about being blinded by the glare as they land at the local airport. (The complex is at the end of the runway.)

I am a libertian "with a lower-case L" who understands that there really are some things you don't want your neighbors doing. This is not a matter of right vs. left, but simply a matter of common courtesy, awareness, and common sense.

There is a need for national and/or state codes, since most people who are responsible for designing outdoor lighting have no background in illumination engineering, are not aware of recommendations by engineering standards bodies, and can usually be counted on to do the opposite of these recommendations. Our city engineer, with whom I have spoken, is an example of this. In fact, the worst sources of light pollution and light trespass in this area are installations run by the city government and school boards, not private business.

[eastsider]

I'm an amateur astronmer as well, and as a kid I learned my way around the celestial sphere from my rooftop in New York City, where I could see only the navigational stars. Once I had those stars locked into place, I knew exactly what I was looking at whenever my parents would take the family camping at the beach on the tip of Long Island.

I love the night sky, too, but it's not necessary to leave the city to learn your way around the celestial sphere. IMO, when just starting to learn to navigate the constellations, city kids actually have an advantage.

And there's always the planetarium. : )