Small Scopes

Negative impact of light pollution

Another story discusses the negative impacts of light pollution on stargazing, energy waste, and providing false security:

Galileo, with his 40-power telescope, could see stars that a 100-power telescope could only make out as a blur.

"He didn't have any light pollution," said Anthony Goodyear, an astronomy teacher at Parkside High and director of the school's planetarium. "He didn't have to worry about street lights."

...

There is a common misconception about lighting, said Bob Gent, vice president of the board of directors for the International Dark-Sky Association.

There is nothing to be afraid of when it's dark.

"Why do we want to turn night into day?" he asked. "We need to preserve the beauty of the night."

Bright lights are sometimes used to deter criminals and make the roads easier to navigate. People believe the more light there is, the safer they will be, Gent said.

But, Gent said, they're wrong.

Instead, bright lights cause more harm than good.

...

Not only is much of the light pollution wasteful in terms of energy but often times the lights reach a point of being too bright.

"It makes the darker areas darker," she said. "It makes the surrounding areas less safe."

Crime isn't the only issue. Driver safety is also a concern.

"Some of the lighting along the street is so bright it attracts the eyes," she said. "That's the opposite of what you want. You want people's eyes on the roads."

As much as I'd like to have darker skies sometimes (there's a terrible street lamp just outside), I just don't see society getting right of nighttime lighting anytime soon. The reality is that just a tiny fraction of society cares about watching the sky, and even they only do it occasionally.

posted by Tako John @ 9:56 AM