Sky Pink Bright

Sky pink, sky bright,May not see a star tonight...: 

Sky pink, sky bright, May not see a star tonight... Andy “Puckett” Puckett October 22, 2001 Wopat #51 or: Light Pollution is Bad

Slide2: 

The Issues (on a continuum from Astronomers to CEOs) Sky brightness at observatory sites is increasing. The habitat of the backyard astronomer is shrinking. Glare means bad visibility! Light lost upward: your tax dollars (and profits) at work. On the way, we’ll see… Good Lighting Gone Bad Bad Lighting Gone Insane The 1st World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness What does this have to do with Tom Wopat?

Good Lighting Gone Bad: 

Good Lighting Gone Bad Good outdoor lighting is important... Safety of Individuals and Personal Property. Illuminates the ground, but hides the bulb. Puts the light only where it needs to be. …but bad lighting can be bad in many ways: Bad fixtures. Bad bulbs. Downright stupidity...

The Fixtures: 

The Fixtures BAD GOOD

The Bulbs: 

The Bulbs LPS: 28klm, 135W, $50/yr Astronomers: Happy Color Rendition: Poor HPS: 28klm, 250W, $94/yr The most-used in the U.S. Color Rendition: Great HPHg: 28klm, 400W, $150/yr Once the common choice. Mercury = toxic.

The Stupidity: 

The Stupidity

Bad Lighting Gone Insane: 

Bad Lighting Gone Insane Gaylord Entertainment Center “The new Nashville Arena, an icon for the city.” Panstadia Int’l Qtrly Report Palmolive/Lindbergh Beacon Restoring the original Art Deco “charm” while converting from office space to residential condos. Draper & Kramer, real estate developers

More on the Palmolive Beacon: 

More on the Palmolive Beacon 919 N. Michigan Ave 60” diameter reflector 7x109 candlepower ~ 107 W/steradian original was 2x109 cd “But the intensity of the light will seem about the same as the original because there are more lights in Chicago today than there were in the 1930s.” oscillates:120o arc from LSD to Navy Pier Calumet Astronomical Society petition 1,268 signatures as of Oct. 21, 2001 This is now a moot point, as it was turned off during WWII for fear of attracting enemy bombers...

“Moron” the Palmolive Beacon: 

“Moron” the Palmolive Beacon

Tax Dollars in Elgin, IL: 

Tax Dollars in Elgin, IL Estimated pop. of 85,000 in 1996 “Lighting Up the Town” Program 2150 streetlights City pays $13/mo each Total: $335,400/yr Assume they’re using non-cutoff cobra-heads (NOT the lossy fixtures at left!) With 30% of light lost upwards, they waste $100,620/yr lighting the undersides of birds.

So, How Bad is it?: 

So, How Bad is it? The first world atlas of artificial night sky brightness P. Cinzano, F. Falchi, C.D. Elvidge University of Padova & Nat’l Geophysical Data Center

Their Method: 

Their Method Images obtained from USAF’s Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) unsaturated since 1996 Measure upward light flux , then compute effects on night sky by modelling light propagation in the atmosphere scattering from molecules/aerosols extinction along light paths curvature, altitude, mtn screening natural sky brightness Maps show zenith sky brightness.

USA, ca. 1997: 

USA, ca. 1997 0.11-0.33 blue 0.33-1.00 green 1.0-3.0 yellow 3.0-9.0 orange 9.0-27.0 red > 27 white Areas in red & orange can no longer see the Milky Way.

The Numbers: 

The Numbers Percentage of population living under skies of given brightness.

The Numbers, Part Deux: 

The Numbers, Part Deux Percentage of surface area under skies of given brightness.

Light Pollution Growth: 

Light Pollution Growth Black & Grey corresp. to ~ Black 27-81 violet >81 hot white Same key as before

Los Angeles from Mt Wilson: 

Los Angeles from Mt Wilson 1908 ~1hr exposure 1988 ~1sec exposure!

Conclusions of the Study: 

Conclusions of the Study Venice has pop. > 250,000 but could still see the Milky Way Due to unique low-intensity “romantic” lighting of the city. Sites thought to be unpolluted (from imaging data) have non-negligible ASB levels due to light pollution propagation. Observatories known for their negligible zenith ASB levels appear to lie near/inside the 1%-NSB levels Without serious light pollution control, these sites will risk degradations in quality over the next 20 years. Site evaluations for next-generation telescopes need to take long-term ASB-growth into consideration. Unknown impact on the future of society, imagination, etc...

My God…What About the Farm???: 

My God…What About the Farm???

My God…What About the Farm???: 

My God…What About the Farm???

What Can We Do?: 

What Can We Do? Join the International Darksky Association. $30/yr individual membership $15/yr student membership $50/yr small group membership (<100) Push for better lighting in Hyde Park & Chicago. Participate in local IDA section activities. Chicago chapter is a student group at the Latin School of Chicago. They do “sidewalk astronomy” outings for the public. Start our own rival Chicago IDA section. C’mon, they’re high-schoolers! We could take ‘em.

Everything I Used for This Talk I Stole From the Web...: 

Everything I Used for This Talk I Stole From the Web... www.panstadia.com/vol4/42c-big.htm www.petitiononline.com/Beacon/petition.html www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi- 0108300314aug30.story www.casonline.org sky-view.com/dominator.cfm www.darksky.org/ida/index.html www.pha.jhu.edu/~atolea/second/page1.html astro-ph # 0108052 sites.netscape.net/dericksondennis www.nsn.org/elghome/cityelg/streetlt.html Japanese postcard of APO, featuring skyglow from El Paso, 130 miles south.