Light Pollution

Artificial lighting, which has become a necessity to facilitate human activity at night-time, contributes to the so-called Light Pollution. When such pollution occurs, the visibility of the night sky is degraded and an unnecessary amount of energy is wasted. Since the 80s, light pollution has been under study and several cities around the world have already regulated the use of luminaires -specially regarding public lighting- in order to prevent it. In Malargüe, in the south of the Province of Mendoza, an ordinance was adopted on April 14^th 2005 to protect the sky from light pollution. In accordance to this ordinance, an interdisciplinary team will address itself to the task of assessing the impact of regular luminaires and of those luminaires suitable for light pollution control in Malargüe. The present study includes a general description of the problem as well as the preliminary results of the measurements already conducted.

The world-wide problem of increasing light pollution is assessed through the development of global maps of the distribution of zenith sky brightness with a resolution of approximately 1 km. These maps are produced using satellite imagery which provides photometrically calibrated data over the surface of the Earth at night, combined with a model of light scattering in the atmosphere to calculate the sky brightness from a given location. High resolution upward flux data have been obtained from the Operational Linescan System carried by the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program satellite, an oscillating scan radiometer with low-light visible and thermal infrared imaging capabilities. Light propagation in the atmosphere was computed at sea level based on the modeling technique introduced by Garstang which account for Earth curvature, double scattering and extinction. The Atlas reveals that light pollution of the night sky is not confined, as commonly believed, to developed countries,...

Rising from the Big Bend is what might be the best big idea in the whole state of Texas. Yep, it’s that big!

Bigger than the rocket launches of Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. Bigger than the football coliseums for the Cowboys, Longhorns, and Aggies. Bigger than any tech dream launched by the hipsters at Apple, Google, or Tesla in Austin. Bigger than the towering 10,000 Year Clock being inserted into a 300-foot deep cave in the Sierra Diablo Mountains near Van Horn. Believe it or not, there is something wondrous and profound happening in the Big Bend, far grander than anything happening in our big cities or on our electronic screens.

Imagine a huge swath of the modern world better integrated into the natural world here on Earth and the cosmos above—an area in which the bright skyglow of our cities is tempered in favor of the radiant starglow of the cosmos. In that difference between skyglow and starglow lies hope for a better tomorrow. That’s why we need to turn our gaze away from our screens, at least for a while, and experience our true place in the universe. We can find it in the Big Bend, site of this profound and beautiful project.

It’s called the Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve. You’ve probably never heard of it. But, I find this to be an incredibly hopeful project, not only for Texans, but for Americans and the rest of humanity Relax, this is not a political essay. It’s a story about hope for a deeper and richer understanding of our place on Earth and in the universe.

La nuit n’est pas un espace-temps inexploré par le géographe [Deleuil, 1994 ; Fiori, 2000 ; Mosser et Devars, 2000 ; Paquot, 2000 ; Gwiazdzinski, 2002, 2005 ; Mos- ser, 2003, 2005, 2007 ; Mallet, 2009], mais il reste jeune et nécessite donc d’être observé, afin d’être cerné, dans une globalité parfois déroutante, mais souvent sti- mulante. Si la nuit, et plus spécifiquement la nuit urbaine, a effectivement été ap- préhendée par le chercheur, il s’agit souvent – encore aujourd’hui – d’analyser comment cet espace-temps peut être optimisé dans ses différents usages, notamment par la lumière artificielle qui les accompagne. Prenant le contre-pied de ces démarches, nous proposons ici de montrer le renversement qui s’opère actuelle- ment quant aux considérations de cette lumière artificielle, la faisant passer du statut quasi-exclusif de progrès technologique à celui d’une source de gêne, de nuisance, voire même de pollution.

The replacement of conventional lighting with energy-saving light emitting diodes (LED) is a worldwide trend, yet its consequences for animals and ecosystems are poorly understood. Strictly nocturnal animals such as bats are particularly sensitive to artificial light at night (ALAN). Past studies have shown that bats, in general, respond to ALAN according to the emitted light color and that migratory bats, in particular , exhibit phototaxis in response to green light. As red and white light is frequently used in outdoor lighting, we asked how migratory bats respond to these wavelength spectra. At a major migration corridor, we recorded the presence of migrating bats based on ultrasonic recorders during 10-min light-on/light-off intervals to red or warm-white LED, interspersed with dark controls. When the red LED was switched on, we observed an increase in flight activity for Pipistrellus pygmaeus and a trend for a higher activity for Pipistrellus nathusii. As the higher flight activity of bats was not associated with increased feeding, we rule out the possibility that bats foraged at the red LED light. Instead, bats may have flown toward the red LED light source. When exposed to warm-white LED, general flight activity at the light source did not increase, yet we observed an increased foraging activity directly at the light source compared to the dark control. Our findings highlight a response of migratory bats toward LED light that was dependent on light color. The most parsimonious explanation for the response to red LED is phototaxis and for the response to warm-white LED foraging. Our findings call for caution in the application of red aviation lighting, particularly at wind turbines, as this light color might attract bats, leading eventually to an increased collision risk of migratory bats at wind turbines.

To make urban identity-forming components visible by making use of technologic improvements, and to make the city livable for everybody by enhancing aesthetic and charming attraction are becoming important for urban designers. Lighting is becoming an important factor to suit cities to livable places for livings in all comfort conditions. By the improvement of science and technology, to organize the life spaces of livings according to today’s comfort conditions are considered more and more important. Urban lighting is affecting both the lighting comfort and livings’ (humans, animal, and plants) health in many dimensions. The light used on the unsuitable spot, unsuitable direction, unsuitable amount and unsuitable time is defined as light pollution. Within the scope of this study, national and international literature research related to urban lighting is done and basing criteria are identified. In the frame of these identified criteria, Nisantasi example is examined in the context of lighting pollution. Important streets and lanes and important historical and religious structures that gained a seat in public memory are identified. Designing criteria of the lighting tools existing in these identified areas and their suitability according to their spot are evaluated and measuring their illuminance sufficiency, the issues which are detected as light pollution are stated. In conclusion, the studies done in our country are cited and the issues that are to be done to prevent light pollution are introduced as a suggestion.

Light pollution is one of the most rapidly increasing types of environmental degradation. Its levels have been growing exponentially over the natural nocturnal lighting levels provided by starlight and moonlight. To limit this pollution several effective practices have been defined: the use of shielding on lighting fixture to prevent direct upward light, particularly at low angles above the horizon; no over lighting, i.e. avoid using higher lighting levels than strictly needed for the task, constraining illumination to the area where it is needed and the time it will be used. Nevertheless, even after the best control of the light distribution is reached and when the proper quantity of light is used, some upward light emission remains, due to reflections from the lit surfaces and atmospheric scatter. The environmental impact of this "residual light pollution", cannot be neglected and should be limited too. Here we propose a new way to limit the effects of this residual light pollution on wildlife, human health and stellar visibility. We performed analysis of the spectra of common types of lamps for external use, including the new LEDs. We evaluated their emissions relative to the spectral response functions of human eye photoreceptors, in the photopic, scotopic and the ‘meltopic’ melatonin suppressing bands. We found that the amount of pollution is strongly dependent on the spectral characteristics of the lamps, with the more environmentally friendly lamps being low pressure sodium, followed by high pressure sodium. Most polluting are the lamps with a strong blue emission, like Metal Halide and white LEDs. Migration from the now widely used sodium lamps to white lamps (MH and LEDs) would produce an increase of pollution in the scotopic and melatonin suppression bands of more than five times the present levels, supposing the same photopic installed flux. This increase will exacerbate known and possible unknown effects of light pollution on human health, environment and on visual perception of the Universe by humans. We present quantitative criteria to evaluate the lamps based on their spectral emissions and we suggest regulatory limits for future lighting.► This work presents a new additional way to limit light pollution effects. ► We summarize light pollution consequences on health, environment and astronomy. ► We summarize the technical prescription to limit light pollution. ► We found that a limit to the short wavelength blue light should be implemented. ► New white LEDs pollute the blue part of the spectrum and should be regulated.

Light pollution is actively destroying our ability to see the stars. Many Indigenous traditions and knowledge systems around the world are based on the stars, and the peoples' ability to observe and interpret stellar positions and properties is of critical importance for daily life and cultural continuity. The erasure of the night sky acts to erase Indigenous connection to the stars, acting as a form of ongoing cultural and ecological genocide. Efforts to reduce, minimise, or eliminate light pollution are being achieved with varying degrees of success, but urban expansion, poor lighting design, and the increased use of blue-light emitting LEDs as a cost-effective solution is worsening problems related to human health, wildlife, and astronomical heritage for the benefit of capitalistic economic growth. We provide a brief overview of the issue, illustrating some of the important connections that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Australia maintain with the stars,...

This paper aims to derive a design framework for dovetailing darkness and light while planning outdoor spaces using the concept of pragmatic utopia. Pragmatic utopia is a sustainable design movement characterized by an inclusive outlook towards ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable design. Ideological concepts of pragmatic utopian lighting design derived from literature are presented via their criteria for expanding sustainable lighting. Values of darkness derived from literature are presented via their spatial characteristics and temporal outlook. These ideological lighting concepts are then systematically matched with the darkness values to develop a dark-light design framework that can be used as a guidance tool for analysing and designing outdoor spaces with darkness and light. The applicability of this framework is tested by analysing three popular outdoor lighting projects that have addressed critical issues such as biodiversity protection, darkness preservation, heritage conservation, and social interaction as case studies. The objective is to use this framework for improving the ecological, economical, and socio-cultural fabric of outdoor spaces with carefully planned darkness and lighting.

Light pollution has become the principal barrier to the night sky. Its documented growth charts a seemingly inexorable decline in simple, direct access to most astronomical phenomena. We tend to think of this as a problem of our time, possibly emerging as far back as the immediate post-World War II years. Is this true? When does an awareness that light pollution could be a problem for astronomy arise in the consciousness of the amateur community, as exemplified by the Royal
Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC)?

The subculture of star party attendees has rarely been addressed within anthropology. Through an ethnographic approach, this paper explores the customs and motivations of those who sky-watch at star party gatherings. Some factors that motivate people to attend these gatherings include the sharing of technology, camaraderie, scientific learning, environmental advocacy and emotional connections with the universe itself. Additionally, digital versus physical spaces are explored and contrasted. More broadly, this paper looks at possible reasons for the popularity of astronomy within our culture today.

Artificial Light At Night (ALAN), causing light pollution (LP), is not a matter restricted to astronomy anymore. Light is part of modern societies and, as a consequence, the natural cycle day-night (bright-dark) has been interrupted to a large segment of the world population. There is increasing evidence that exposure to light at night of certain type and beyond certain levels may cause hazardous effects to human beings and to the environment. The concept of “dark skies reserves” is a step forward in order to preserve the night sky and a means of increasing the public awareness to the problem of the spread of light pollution worldwide. We assessed the skyglow in two sites in Portugal, the Peneda-Gerês National Park (PNPG) and the region now known as Dark Sky® Alqueva Reserve (Figure 1). The latter site was classified as a “Starlight Tourism Destination“ by the Starlight Foundation (the first in the world to achieve this classification) following a series of night sky measurements in situ described in this communication. Our measurements at the PNPG also contributed to the new set of regulations concerning light pollution at this National Park. Here we present the first in situ systematic measurements of the night sky brightness, showing that at the two sites the skies are mostly in the 3rd to 4th levels of the Bortle nine-levels scale (level 1 being the best achievable). We find that the sources of light

Nowadays, due to advances in electrical devices, new digital
media, lighting, information and communication technologies, cities are being used 24/7. The paper discusses critical aspects of Media Architecture in the context of public spaces as well as urban nighttime environments from the perspective of a practising lighting architect. The author examines recent issues of negative design approaches and presents proposals for improving future projects in the form of guiding principles. Additionally, to better illustrate the phenomenon, an attempt has been made to standardize terminology and to clarify the topic of Media Architecture in the context of artificial light used in the urban environment based on the author’s practical and theoretical research work in the field.

Over the last hundred years, people have radically altered the appearance of the night sky. Studies conducted so far indicate that lighting installations of tall buildings and bridges visible after dark can negatively impact flora and fauna.

Artificial lighting, which has become a necessity to facilitate human activity at
night-time, contributes to the so-called Light Pollution. When such pollution occurs, the
visibility of the night sky is degraded and an unnecessary amount of energy is wasted. Since
the 80s, light pollution has been under study and several cities around the world have
already regulated the use of luminaires -specially regarding public lighting- in order to
prevent it. In Malargüe, in the south of the Province of Mendoza, an ordinance was adopted
on April 14 th 2005 to protect the sky from light pollution. In accordance to this ordinance, an
interdisciplinary team will address itself to the task of assessing the impact of regular
luminaires and of those luminaires suitable for light pollution control in Malargüe. The
present study includes a general description of the problem as well as the preliminary results
of the measurements already conducted.

We extend the method introduced by Cinzano et al. (2000a) to map the artificial sky brightness in large territories from DMSP satellite data, in order to map the naked eye star visibility and telescopic limiting magnitudes. For these purposes we take into account the altitude of each land area from GTOPO30 world elevation data, the natural sky brightness in the chosen sky direction, based on Garstang modelling, the eye capability with naked eye or a telescope, based on the Schaefer (1990) and Garstang (2000b) approach, and the stellar extinction in the visual photometric band. For near zenith sky directions we also take into account screening by terrain elevation. Maps of naked eye star visibility and telescopic limiting magnitudes are useful to quantify the capability of the population to perceive our Universe, to evaluate the future evolution, to make cross correlations with statistical parameters and to recognize areas where astronomical observations or popularisation can still acceptably be made. We present, as an application, maps of naked eye star visibility and total sky brightness in V band in Europe at the zenith with a resolution of approximately 1 km.

Since the introduction of electric lighting over a century ago, and particularly in the decades following the Second World War, indications of artificial light on the nighttime Earth as seen from Earth orbit have increased at a rate exceeding that of world population growth during the same period. Modification of the natural photic environment at night is a clear and imminent consequence of the proliferation of anthropogenic light at night into outdoor spaces, and with this unprecedented change comes a host of known and suspected ecological consequences. In the past two decades, the conservation community has gradually come to view light pollution as a threat requiring the development of best management practices. Establishing those practices demands a means of quantifying the problem, identifying polluting sources, and monitoring the evolution of their impacts through time. The proliferation of solid-state lighting and the changes to source spectral power distribution it has brought relative to legacy lighting technologies add the complication of color to the overall situation. In this paper, I describe the challenge of quantifying light pollution threats to ecologically-sensitive sites in the context of efforts to conserve natural nighttime darkness, assess the current state of the art in detection and imaging technology as applied to this realm, review some recent innovations, and consider future prospects for imaging approaches to provide substantial support for darkness conservation initiatives around the world.

Abstrakti Njeriu si nje pjese e madhe e gjallesave qe kane zhvilluar shqisen e te shikuarit nuk ka aftesine e shikimit ne cdo moment te dites, kjo aftesi e te shikuarit cenohet nga mungesa e ndricimit, meqenese vete te shikuarit esht nje proces i cili perfshin levizjen e fotoneve te drites nga burimi i saj drejt objekteve te cilet duke i reflektuar keto grimca drite perfundojne ne aparatin tone te shikimit, syrin. Syri ne vetvete si organ esht mjaft kompleks dhe procesi i gjenerimit te imazhit perfshin mjaft koncepte dhe studime komplekse te kimise, fizikes dhe biologjise, fotonet e lartpermendura kane akses ne syrin tone nepermjet bebes se syrit, e cila rrethohet nga irisi, i perbere nga disa inde lidhore dhe disa fije muskulore te cilat te stimuluara nga nje nerv qe e ka rrenjen e tij ne lobin ocipital, ne saje te sasise se ndricimit te marre nga jasht keto inde zmadhojne ose zvogelojne distancen midis tyre duke lejuar te hyje nje sasi drite e kontrolluar, ne te kundert ne mungese te ndricimit aparati i te shikuarit nuk kryen asnje funksion, kjo gje cenon aftesine e orientimit meqenese njeriu eshte i detyruar te reagoje nepermjet 4 shqisave te mbetura. Instikti i njeriut per te mbajtur aktive te gjitha shqisat e tij per te bere te mundur orientimin sa me te mire, e coi njeriun ne kerkimin e ndricimit. Arti i te ndricuarit esht nje profil mjaft i rendesishem per qyteterimin. Zbulimi i zjarrit ishte hapi i pare i njeriut mbi ndricimin e hapesirave, fillimisht shpellave, ajo i ndihmonte per te mbajtur larg rreziqe te ndryshme nga kafshet grabitqare dhe mishngrenese. Pak nga pak nevoja per ndricim u rrit, duke nisur qe prej faktorit psikologjik qe kishte nata mbi njerezit, duke ndricuar ambjentin perreth i bente me te gatshem per te reaguar ne raste kritike, dhe per te kompensuar friken instiktive qe njeriu kishte nga pamundesia e shikimit ne erresire. 1-Hyrja: Njeriu primitiv, erresira, dhe zjarri Nata ishte e huaj per te paret tane, te cilet me inteligjencen e tyre primordiale arriten te ndriconin hapesira te vogla duke grumbulluar grupe njerezish bashke, por edhe per faktin se zjarri ishte aq i mire per tu ndricuar, per tu ngrohur, per te gatuar por aq edhe i veshtire per tu kontrolluar dhe gjeneruar sipas deshires, kjo veshtiresi bente qe cdo burim zjarri te ishte dhe vend mbledhjeje per njerezit. Pra zanafilla e ndricimit vjen nga instikti njerezor per tu mbrojtur nga rreziku, i cili na shtyn te rrisim komunikimin qe kemi me ambjentin, dhe gjate nates komunikimi viziv me ate qe na rrethon cenohet nga mungesa e ndricimit.

The IAU100 Special Project “Heritage of the Sky” sought to link night sky conservation and national heritage by inviting professional and amateur photographers to submit their astrophotos capturing natural, cultural and historical heritage. The contest provided a notable graphic collection of resources of the natural, historical and intangible heritage and allowed nightscape photography with official permission in all Iranian heritage sites. People in different locations, from different gender and cultural backgrounds submitted over 200 photos with informative storytelling from relevant sites. The award ceremony brought together astrophotographers, amateur astronomers and the tourism community to discuss how to empower the public with the tools and resources to help bring back the night sky.

The beetle Phaleria maculata is a common inhabitant of the upper intertidal fringe of Chilean beaches. Anthropogenic intervention in coastal areas has increased intensely, leading to changes in the flora and fauna of sandy beaches. To examine the impact of human activities on P. maculata, we studied several beaches along the northern Chilean coast. Beaches were characterized based on morphodynamics and the level of intervention, leading to the estimation of an "Urbanization Index" based on various indicators. The analysis showed a significant inverse correlation between the rate of urbanization and night sky quality. Larval and adult beetles were almost absent on beaches with high levels of urbanization. The results of simple and multiple correlations based on nMDS ordination showed an inverse relationship between increases in urbanization and the abundance of beetles. Because darkling beetles are very sensitive to human interventions on sandy beaches, we suggest that they are ideal indicator organisms for the health of these environments.

The goal of this study is to review and categorize approaches and methods of facing urban light pollution. Probing various references and documents, the current practice focus on extracting and reviewing different types of urban light pollution detection, survey, and measurement to define a taxonomy of methods by instant comparison. The means of measurement and detecting this pollution include 14 most cited techniques that have been classified in four categories in this paper. These methods comprise ground-based surveys, aerial surveys, remote sensing, and city modeling. Finally, this paper represents a framework of the methods to show how and when they should be employed considering the pros and cons of each one of these methods. By creating a foundation of specialized arguments, this study helps researchers and urban designers to complete urban lighting research and design. In addition, it provides base information for the analysis of urban light pollution.

Artificial lighting has transformed the outdoor nighttime environment over large areas, modifying natural cycles of light in terms of timing, wavelength, and distribution. This has had widespread benefits and costs to humankind, impacting on health and wellbeing, vehicle accidents, crime, energy consumption and carbon emissions, aesthetics, and wildlife and ecosystems. Here, we review these effects, particularly in the context of ongoing developments in the extent of artificial lighting and in the prevalent technologies being employed. The key issue that emerges is how best to maximize the benefits of artificial nighttime lighting whilst limiting the costs. To do so, three main strategies are required. First, important knowledge gaps need to be filled. Second, there is an urgent need to connect the research being conducted in different disciplines, which to date has been very disjointed. Third, it is imperative that much firmer and well-developed links are made between research, pol...

Light pollution is actively destroying our ability to see the stars. Many Indigenous traditions and knowledge systems around the world are based on the stars, and the peoples' ability to observe and interpret stellar positions and properties is of critical importance for daily life and cultural continuity. The erasure of the night sky acts to erase Indigenous connection to the stars, acting as a form of ongoing cultural and ecological genocide. Efforts to reduce, minimise, or eliminate light pollution are being achieved with varying degrees of success, but urban expansion, poor lighting design, and the increased use of blue-light emitting LEDs as a cost-effective solution is worsening problems related to human health, wildlife, and astronomical heritage for the benefit of capitalistic economic growth. We provide a brief overview of the issue, illustrating some of the important connections that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Australia maintain with the stars,...