Light pollution

« Why so serious! | Three Ms »

Light pollution

by antlady69 ^Pro @ 2008-09-08 – 05:03:59

Enjoying the stars this morning when I came to work, I realized that I can hardly ever see the Milky Way anymore although it used to be faintly but clearly visible when I was young. Only when I'm at very dark places (no electric lights around) can I still see it.

Light pollution - some say we need it to reduce crime, others say that crime will happen anyway and that we should reduce the lights at night.

I'm part of this second group. I say: Put more police officers on the beat, instill "good values" in children (only then can they grow up to be responsible adults), and somehow change the attitude that binge drinking is great (but I don't know how to achieve that).

What about you? Are you for or against light pollution? And why?
Options:

12 Comments to Light pollution

Hide subcomments

- QueeneMab
- 2008-09-08 @ 07:08:07
I agree it is a shame about light pollution but around here street lighting is essential. Around here crime is not just drink related I am afraid though, but it would be nice to change peoples attitude and encourage more responsible drinking. I suspect the current Nanny approach is only making it seem more desirable to the immature sector of the youth community who probably think it is daring to break the law.

I think the answer to light pollution is to use Down lighting as opposed to lights which shine upwards as well. There is a sort of shield over the top can't think how to describe them or what you call them, but a lot of places abroad use them and the night sky can be seen more clearly.

X
- - antlady69 ^Pro
  - http://antmusic-forever.blog.co.uk
  - 2008-09-08 @ 11:30:33
  I see your point. If there weren't any crime you wouldn't need as much light (some light is fine), but that's not reality. I think if I lived in an area with more crime, I'd not even consider my current opinion.
  
  "Down lighting" is a great idea! Some time ago I saw a report that they're encouraging replacing the current lamps with others that have a different light spectrum which not only reduces light pollution, it also doesn't irritate and/or attract the nocturnal insects. It's only a money question now ...
  - Reply to comment
  - Permalink
- AmethystLady ^Pro
- 2008-09-08 @ 12:47:16
Down lighters are an answer...........him indoors and I are amateur astronomers and we have to bugger off to the country side to observe. The other worse cause of light pollution is security lights and the wrong placing off them.
Down lighters work and Eastbourne have them. I have been realiably told that Hastings will be getting them soon.
Light pollution along with contrails are ruining the views of the night sky especially unwanted and uneeded light. More info here http://www.britastro.org/dark-skies/
Soz, pet hate of mine.
- - antlady69 ^Pro
  - http://antmusic-forever.blog.co.uk
  - 2008-09-09 @ 05:40:18
  That's a good link! Hopefully things will change over time, seems that more and more authorities recognize the problem and work on correcting it.
  - Reply to comment
  - Permalink
- joebangles
- 2008-09-08 @ 14:55:30
Never really thought about it much and good street lighting certainly helps avoid accidents when driving, idiots with blazing headlights on a dark road are a curse.

Did watch a tv program last night, up in the arctic circle, the aurora borealis (spell?) was amazing, but the stars in the black sky even more so.
- - antlady69 ^Pro
  - http://antmusic-forever.blog.co.uk
  - 2008-09-09 @ 05:53:58
  You have a good point there. I guess there are quite a few pros and cons for each opinion. Now authorities just have to find a compromise such as the mentioned "down lights"
  - Reply to comment
  - Permalink
- Foxwriter
- 2008-09-08 @ 15:56:55
I absolutely hate light pollution.

I lived for most of my early life in the country where light was just a faint glow on the horizon. On winter nights or during heavy rain the outside would become deliciously black.

Some bad experiences abroad and recent recurrences of nightmares have left me finding it difficult to get to sleep with even a faint light in the room or outside.

So any moves to reduce the insidious spread of unwarranted night lighting are very welcome indeed.
- Reply to comment
- Permalink
- SeasideMan ^Pro
- 2008-09-08 @ 19:19:04
It's a hate of mine too. For the last few years I've been lucky enough to live places witho9ut too much LP and I really notice it now in bigger towns and cities. As others have said, Down Lighters are a great 1st step towards a solution.

Tom.
- Reply to comment
- Permalink
- blacksheep63 ^Pro
- 2008-09-08 @ 19:39:46
i saw it for the first time last september on Skye - i had to ask my mates what it was (i thought i'd drank too much beer!)
- Reply to comment
- Permalink
- NotBob ^Pro
- 2008-09-08 @ 20:44:06
Light pollution is more of an annoyance to me than almost anything. I'm fortunate to live in an area with very little street lighting, yet some parts of the night sky are virually of limits to my telescope because of my proximity to town.
- Reply to comment
- Permalink
- Gordon (Visitor)
- 2008-09-09 @ 14:46:00
The local council here, have street lights that cause as minimal light pollution as possible. If you can go to the beach, I believe, that is the best place to look at the stars. Hearing the crashing of the waves, whilst observing some distant star, wondering if it has a planet, like earth, orbiting it? Possibly not, but we can dream, can't we??
- Reply to comment
- Permalink
- alffly
- 2008-09-11 @ 01:30:12
My mum has recently become interested in amateur astronomy, and we didn't realise quite how bad the light pollution problem is until we bought her a decent set of binoculars (she's mostly interested in moonwatching). I think it's a terrible shame that light pollution is robbing us of the beauty of the night sky.

I'm aware that street lighting is an issue, but it's not the only problem. What about huge public buildings that are floodlit all night long? Office complexes that insist of leaving all the lights on, even when empty? Supermarkets with huge glowing signs? Not far from where I live there's a branch of the wholesalers Makro, and when they opened up they insisted of having their store floodlight all night long and from all angles with bright purple floodlights. It was only after a petition from the next town along that they were forced to turn them off.
- Reply to comment
- Permalink

3-part question for those with a sweet tooth.
by Znethru on 2009-11-21 – 17:05:46
Motivation.......
by la_spice on 2009-11-21 – 11:14:42
Value added or not?
by MarikaSunSeeker on 2009-11-19 – 11:57:22
8 miles left
by brokendownangel on 2009-11-18 – 10:17:02
How about in Yorkshire?
by joebangles on 2009-11-17 – 16:31:54
Mobile site
by kitten44 on 2009-11-17 – 12:54:58
You haven't lived until...
by Znethru on 2009-11-16 – 00:35:02
Hello all.
by joebangles on 2009-11-15 – 14:26:22
PMs
by kitten44 on 2009-11-13 – 16:22:25
How?
by avenscent on 2009-11-13 – 15:11:36

12 Comments to Light pollution

Leave a comment (Login)